…you just gotta go! June 27 I’m heading to Jamestown, NY, for the opening reception of an art exhibit at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute. The show is called “Art That Matters to the Planet 2023: Interconnectivity,” and it includes my piece, Ghost Dancers.

I routinely have artworks in shows around the country and I rarely go to opening receptions. It’s just too time-consuming and expensive. So why is this one a “gotta go”?

Well, first there’s the theme. “Art that matters to the planet” is certainly what I aspire to! The subtheme, “Interconnectivity” also resonates, being defined in the call description as “highlight[ing] the connectivity of trees as an analogy for interconnected relationships in creating strong communities” (RTPI website). Indeed, the more I read about and spend time among trees, the better I understand that they make life on this planet possible. I don’t think I am exaggerating.

And then there’s the venue. For those perhaps wondering why that name sounds familiar, Roger Tory Peterson is the father of the modern field guide. He was trained as an artist and combined that with his passion for birds to create “A Field Guide to the Birds,” first published in 1934 and never out of print since. It is now possible to purchase a Peterson Field Guide to virtually everything under the sun, including rocks.

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute carries on the legacy of using “the power of art to inform, inspire and illuminate people about the natural world” (RTPI website). Oh, my. Be still my heart. I would want to go there even if I didn’t have a piece in their show!

Speaking of which, I applied for this juried exhibition thinking, ‘no chance.’ I love trees but photographing them well is hard. None of my images seemed up to the challenge of communicating about interconnectivity. But.. the only sure way to fail is to not submit, right? So I picked a few and sent them off.

In retrospect, I can see that cypress trees, with their systems of roots and knees and branches hung with Spanish moss and diversity of critters hanging around, are all about interconnectivity and community.

When the news came that I was invited, I jumped to my feet and cheered. Then immediately began planning a trip to Jamestown, NY. It’s not an easy one: three flights + a rental car from Monroe!

Should any of you happen to be in that corner of the world, “Art That Matters to the Planet 2023: Interconnectivity” will be up until Oct. 8, 2023.