Meet the 23 artists from six countries represented in this exhibition whose work reconnects us with nature and each other.
Nicole Acosta
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
atsocanicole.com
Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, Nicole Acosta is a first-generation multidisciplinary Mexican artist. Whether through visual art, written word, or photography — most of Nicole’s work reflects the exploration of identity, experience, place, culture, and storytelling. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing Management from Alverno College and is a proud graduate of the Milwaukee High School of The Arts. Prior to her transfer to Alverno, she spent years at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and Milwaukee Area Technical College studying photography. Her HOOPS Project is being nationally recognized and is her current focus. She is currently The Pfister Hotel’s 14th Artist in Residence.
Diane Balsley
Brown Deer, Wisconsin, USA
dianebalsley.com
Diane Balsley is an artist who started her career as a painter but eventually shifted her focus to photography. She earned her undergraduate degree from Drake University and went on to receive her graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, where she currently teaches. Throughout her career, Balsley has had a keen interest in the natural world and has used her photography to capture the beauty of the environment around her. Her work explores the intricate details and patterns found in nature, showcasing its diversity and complexity.
Craig Barber
La Conner, Washington, USA
craigbarberphotography.com
Craig J. Barber is a Northwest based photographer documenting farmers and their work. For over 30 years he has focused on the cultural landscape using both contemporary and antiquarian processes. He has explored Viet Nam, Havana, Tuscany, upstate New York, and now Skagit Valley in Washington State. His work is represented in numerous public and private collections including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum of Art, Chrysler Museum, Center for Photography Woodstock, George Eastman Museum, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and Victoria & Albert Museum. Barber’s insightful poetic works have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Europe, South America, and North America.
Lisa Becker
Saint Charles, Minnesota, USA
instagram.com/lisabecker.studioart
Lisa Becker is an artist based in Minnesota. Creating images of the natural world, her work allows endless exploration of the nearby state parks, finding new inspiration with each season. She is constantly exploring image-making techniques, inviting the viewer to see nature in diverse ways. Lisa was an art teacher in public schools for 21 years. She currently serves as Community Schools Facilitator at Riverside Elementary in Rochester, Minnesota. Lisa is proud to be part of the national Art21 Educators group with a focus on innovative collaborations in contemporary art.
Glenn H. Chambliss
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
My childhood in the woods of East Texas imbued me with a lifelong love of nature and the great outdoors. I received a degree in Zoology from the University of Texas, Austin, and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Chicago. After postdoctoral studies in France, I became an Assistant Professor of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1974. In 2008, I retired and am now Professor Emeritus. I began photographing nature subjects in 1969 but only after retirement did I become serious about photography. Today, I photograph, and do any post-processing, print, and frame photos for exhibition at public venues such as my recent show in the Steinhauer Gallery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum.
Maria Coletsis
Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada
mariacoletsis.com
Maria Coletsis works with issues concerned with identity and the environment. She received an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, has exhibited her artwork internationally, and has published a photography book, Behind the Whip: Dominatrix. Her work was included in the East London Photography Festival and in the Whitney Museum for the Viridian Gallery open call in New York. Maria has contributed editorial photography for many international magazines and newspapers. Many of her images appear on book covers, websites, and music covers. She continues to investigate photograph elements from nature to explore human nature.
Jamie Feldman
Southfield, Michigan, USA
facebook.com/feldmanimages
Jamie Feldman’s lifelong photographic experience documents stories and reflects the world around him. He has recorded events at the White House to the Knesset in Jerusalem and from rural to urban centers. Photography goes beyond capturing a moment. His relationship with the subject often involves a unique point of view, meticulous exposure, effective composition, and giving the viewer visual cues for telling the story. Jamie’s broad background in fine arts, healthcare, and journalism helps define the impressions and the images that he captures with integrity and sincerity. His visual exploration and creative passions result in an ultimate goal of informing, enlightening, and making a difference with a unique perspective.
Tonja Michelle (gabryshak)
Indiana, Ohio, & Kentucky, USA
Born in the Pacific Northwest, United States, Tonja’s artistry has touched all corners of the globe, currently on sabbatical since 2021 across the country exploring from the heART of it all, just inside the Tristate Region of Indiana, Ohio & Kentucky. The purpose of my ART has been to “reAwaken in others the power of Love & Beauty in the world” as a portal to healing the vision we hold of ourselves & our place within it; to reMember & reEnliven the ancient wisdoms, to reEmbody & reImagine what it means to be One hUmaNITY & therefore create a world that brings All Our Relations hOMe, leaving behind something New that will continue to inspire & inform for generations to cOMe.
Amelia Hansen
Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
Amelia Hansen earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Western Michigan University and worked for 28 years as an independent professional illustrator and designer, focusing on science and nature subjects while working in watercolor, colored pencil, and ink. She also worked for many years as a Visual Scribe, literally drawing on the walls during conferences and workshops. More recently, she has worked as a media specialist for a non-profit land trust, an opportunity for effective creative outreach within the conservation field. Her photography reflects one facet of her long quest to create art that connects people and nature.
Diana KB Hoover
Stevens Point, Wisconsin, USA
strongheartcreative.com
Diana KB Hoover is a graphic designer and an artist. Her artwork investigates interconnections between humans, nature, identity, and built systems. She is passionate about collaborating with others to evaluate challenges, investigate options, and implement solutions that engage hearts and minds. The founder of Strong Heart Creative, she provides design services for causes, businesses, and organizations. She holds an MFA in Art from UW-Madison and a BFA in Graphic Design from UW-Milwuakee.
Muhammad Amdad Hossain
Chittagong, Bangladesh
Muhammad Amdad Hossain is a Bangladesh-born visual artist, whose curiosity has led him to an utter passion for photography. “Due to natural calamities, many problems have been revealed in the lives of the people in my photographs.” Muhammad loves to travel and enjoys the experience that photography offers, which is to capture Earth’s beautiful and awe-inspiring moments. His work has won more than 150+ international photography awards. His photographs have been published in more than 100 international newspapers & magazines, including National Geographic, Guardian (London), Chiiz Magazine (India), Insider, Forbes, Ze.TT (Germany).
Cinder Hypki
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
cinderart.com
Cinder Hypki is an artist, educator, and writer living in Baltimore where she maintains a mosaic studio. Her work focuses on “the art of thriving”. Cinder designs workshops, rituals, and experiences that use participants’ creativity to build community, celebrate, and heal. She often uses mosaic art to help people memorialize loved ones, and to celebrate important occasions in a communal, joyful way. She has worked with cancer patients and their families and with nurses and chaplains at Johns Hopkins’ Kimmel Cancer Center. She is currently editing a book on healing. Cinder has an MS degree from the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS).
Tracie Joyner
Douglasville, Georgia, USA
traciejoynerart.com
Art is a journey and an essential element of my life. I am constantly exploring through the use of color, pattern, perspective, and most importantly, uniqueness in design and method. An inspired new work is a creation waiting to happen and brings with it a sense of excitement and pure joy. After my son passed away in 2019 from a rare cancer, I sought refuge in the creative process and found it to be very healing. I see life differently now and that view is reflected in my work, where I strive to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Jacob Markiewicz
Jackson, Michigan USA
Jacob Markiewicz is a modern photographer currently living in the Midwest. By introducing a unique perspective on how light interacts with the objects and places that are passed by every day, Jacob’s photographs encompass literal flashes of inspiration itself. He seeks to use his individual impression of the photographic method to produce singular unedited images that are pathways in the exploration of self, adding layers of meaning to the concepts of space, depth, and time.
Irmari Nacht
Englewood, New Jersey, USA
irmari.com
Irmari Nacht’s art is in several corporate and public collections: AT&T, Newark Museum, International Museum of Collage, Bowdoin College, Jimmy Carter Museum, Cleveland Institute of Art, Rutgers University, Yuko Nii Foundation, Lafayette College, and Yale Art Museum. Irmari has received Arts Fellowships and Foundation Grants for her visual and interactive projects. She was a Visual Arts Winner of the 2018 World Citizen Artists “Compete for Peace – Not War Competition” and was a winner in the 2020 American Craft Week artists’ contest. Her work is prominently featured in the Woven Tale Press Spring 2022 issue.
Ismail Odetola
Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria
instagram.com/zanni_aba/?hl=en
Ismail Odetola is a Nigeria based multidisciplinary artist whose practice focuses on socioeconomic and political issues and ecological justice in the world today. He holds a certificate in radio production from the national broadcast academy in Nigeria and another certificate in entrepreneurship from Bocconi University in Milan. His visual works have won awards and prizes around the world: UNESCO global youth photo 2017, EU/OECD youth photo contest 2018, Nasser Bin Hamad international youth creativity 2018, Flow Tales 2020, ARTDEX 2021, and Cultures of Resistance Award 2022.
Svetlana Olshanskaya
Lugansk, Ukraine
sites.google.com/view/svetlanaolshanskaya
I was born in the city of Lugansk, Ukraine. I started photography while studying at the institute. My specialty is landscape photography, human-nature interaction, and urban landscapes. With my work, I want to show the beauty of the surrounding world and pass on to my descendants my understanding of the world. I have participated in city and international exhibitions.
Michelle Rogers
Gainesville, Florida, USA
bee-ecology.com
Michelle Rogers’ practice is trans-disciplinary and research-based, merging the field of art and science. Her main project, Apiary and Melipona Investigations, synthesizes years of research into the world of bees and the ever-evolving relationship between bees and humans. Through her dedication to pollinators, she has collaborated on conservation, education, and research efforts on both a local and global scale. Her curiosity has propelled her into unexpected places, whether in the laboratory identifying and analyzing specimens or traversing through the Amazon rainforest, exploring sustainable methods of managing alternative pollinators such as stingless bees.
Manon Sauvage
Yauco, Puerto Rico, USA
manonsauvageart.wixsite.com/sauvage
French artist and paper conservator, I make handmade papers with local plants and work with fibers, dyes, and pigments from my environment. I am currently living and making art on an agro-ecological farm in Puerto Rico while working as a paper conservator. I am constantly learning from natural spaces through my artistic process and aim to celebrate the power, beauty, and importance of Nature in our lives.
Barbara Schneider
Bremen, HB, Germany
B a r b a r a Schneider | Bounce site
B a r b a r a Schneider is a designer, and multiple-disciplinary visual artist, who has a great passion for photography. Barbara is a global exhibitor, who is frequently recognized with awards and publications of her work. She believes in humanity, freedom of art & thoughts as universal essentials for living and art & design.
Peichi Waite
Highland Park, New Jersey, USA
instagram.com/photowalkhp
Peichi Waite is a fine art photographer who believes in the healing power of nature. Her artistic process involves taking nature walks and capturing moments that produce deep emotion. May this piece rejuvenate your spirit and give you strength on your healing journey.
Jennifer Willoughby
Westminster, Colorado, USA
willoucreative.com
Jennifer Willoughby’s art and creative voice reflect a playful light and dark exploration of the whimsical, with the intention to create Surreal Dreamscapes and Visual Poetry. With a commercial graphics career that spans four decades, Jennifer now exhibits her art at The Denver Art Society, Boulder R Gallery/Boulder Art Association, and the Influx Gallery in Notting Hill London.
Ellen Zimmerman
Winchester, Virginia, USA
ellenzphoto.com
Art has always been important to me. As a child, I feasted on paintings in local galleries; later, I was captivated by sculpture in the Louvre. When I ran my marketing business, I learned how important visuals are to successful communication. In my journey with photography, I’ve always taken pleasure in unearthing tiny jewels of nature. I love discovering little vignettes that feel magical to me. Recently, I have embraced an expressionistic approach where form, texture, and color capture unexpected beauty and drama. My images have been featured in local, national, and international galleries, exhibits, and publications.