Shelter in Art:

how artists are using the pandemic to re-examine their relationship to the natural world

Artists and creative workers have been some of the hardest-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Musicians cannot gather to create music together.  Visual artists cannot attend residencies or gather in groups for critiques.  Some artists no longer have access to their studio spaces.  And these are just the social impacts of the pandemic.  The financial downward spiral has impacted artists and performers acutely as exhibitions and performances are postponed or cancelled.  This is all in addition to the emotional toll of caring for at-risk family members and friends that we all share.

But this is not the first time society has faced unprecedented challenges, and at Oak Spring, we know that artists are vital to promoting hope and healing in moments of uncertainty.  On April 14, 2020, OSGF posted an open call that asked artists to submit materials addressing how the pandemic, including social-distancing, self-isolation and quarantining, have shifted their thinking about the natural world.

The responses we received to the open call were inspiring.  Artists submitted musical scores, poetry, short stories, and drawings, as well as anecdotes about their newly-started gardens, stories of nature walks with loved ones, as well as tales of their daily battles with irksome chipmunks.  It was with great difficulty that OSGF selected 13 artists’ work to contract for this program.

Every week we will post two artist spotlights that each feature an artist in which they address how the quarantine has impacted their process or practice, and what creative projects they have been exploring.  We hope that the images, videos, and texts will offer you a chance to pause and think about how our current epoch has influenced your relationship to the natural world.