A colorful coral reef, viewed from just beneath the surface of the ocean. A winding river delta, seen from far up in the sky. A metallic oak tree, with its wiry branches hanging far above. This describes the wonderland visitors will find themselves in when they visit the Sonoma State Art Gallery’s current exhibition, Land, Sky and Sea: A Tapestry of Perspectives.
On display from Feb. 6 to March 15, the exhibition combines the work of Sonoma County artists Catherine Daley, Bambi Waterman, and Adrian Mendoza in order to explore our planet’s natural environments, and how human intervention and climate change is impacting them.
On Thursday, Feb. 27, the Sonoma State Art Gallery hosted a discussionwith the artists about their featured work and its themes. Art history lecturer Taryn Möller Nicoll moderated the event, which was attended by both Sonoma State students and local Sonoma County art enthusiasts.
The talk highlighted the exhibition’s fusion of science and art, with the panel being structured like a scientific thesis including an introduction, methods, discussions, results and conclusion.
“The exhibition you’re in can be read as a research paper, where each work is an ambitious conceptual experiment,” said Nicoll. “Each piece tests hypotheses, surveys variable conditions, and offers solutions and results for real-world concerns.”
This connection of art and science could not be any more relevant. With nearly 15% of Americans denying man-made climate change, exhibitions such as this one are becoming increasingly relevant, helping to remind us of nature’s fragility. The works on display transport the viewer to a seemingly magical world, but that world is our own – and while one piece may show natural beauty, the next shows how that beauty is being exploited.
“I feel like this exhibition needed to be said, because we need to start looking at our planet Earth,” said artist Catherine Daley. Daley’s hope for the exhibition is that the connection between art and science will start a conversation about climate change.
Daley’s works included minimalist bronze sculptures and photographs of fragile natural environments. She also created a large-scale metallic tree sculpture, with a large canopy that hangs over the room.
“The primary focus of my artwork is to really make a point, and in a way that people can hear it,” Daley said. “If you get to lecturing, people will not hear it. And so you really want to focus on the way that art can bridge the gap. I look at art as being a vehicle, and part of the dialogue that we have as each other.
A similar sentiment was stated by artist Bambi Waterman, whose works depict vast seascapes and coral polyps.
“Coral reefs are one of the wonders of the natural world, protecting thousands of miles of shoreline from erosion… They are one of nature’s most significant and ancient infrastructures,” said Waterman. “I’m hoping to give the viewer a different perspective of this beautiful portion of the world that we often don’t see.”
Between Daley’s sculpture and photography, Waterman’s paintings and ceramics, and Mendoza’s photography, every piece in the gallery focuses on this bridge between us, the natural world, and the science behind it.
While it may be the artists’ work that make up the exhibition, the gallery managers also play a fundamental role in tying everything together. From the artist talk to setting up the gallery, the exhibition would not be what it is without their work.
Claudia Molloy, the Director of Operations for the art gallery, played a critical role in the exhibition’s development, helping behind the scenes to make the exhibition come to life.
“In preparing the exhibition, I handled the logistical side of it,” said Molloy. “That included the loan agreements with the artists who are participating in the show, logistics around transportation, and then installation.”
Molloy’s other roles included planning promotional materials, putting together hardware such as pedestals, and coordinating the artist talk. Without this behind-the-scenes work, the exhibition would not have happened. Evidently, the effort was worth it.
“We’ve had really great support and a really positive reaction to the scale and body of the work, the narrative, and the conversation around the environment,” said Molloy. “With how finely tuned the exhibition is, people really appreciate the level of presentation. It’s a compliment, when you’re doing the installation, that the audience is noticing how crisp and clean and professional it looks.”
The exhibition “Land, Sky, and Sea: A Tapestry of Perspectives” will be on display at the University Art Gallery until March 15th, 2025. Admission is free.
