OVERVIEW
Foreshadowing - Endangered & Threatened Plant Species
Michigan-based artist Jane Kramer is drawn to things that are fragile or easily overlooked, often rooted in an element of secrecy. In Foreshadowing, Jane photographed the shadows of endangered and threatened plant species in Michigan and transferred the images onto paper made from invasive plant species. After she takes photos of the shadows of rare plants, she tackles the flip side of the project: the invasives that threaten them.
“You know, the paper is made from an invasive plant, the shadow is an endangered plant, and I’m trying to get these two together and that is complicated, just trying to get these two together in a print, and it kind of mimics that relationship in nature, you know, how they’re kind of battling it out,” says Jane Kramer.
The Exhibit
Jane’s projects are created with a conceptual approach and are motivated by a story, message, or educational element. After being chosen as one of four Michigan artists to participate in Art from the Lakes, an art and exhibition exchange between Michigan and Shiga, Japan – she began this series. Foreshadowing – Endangered & Threatened Plant Species, began upon selection into the Art from the Lakes program and with funding, in part, from Michigan Nature Association. For this project, Jane photographs the shadows of Michigan’s endangered and threatened plant species and transfers the images onto paper she makes from invasive plant species.
The shadows speak to the ephemeral nature of endangered plant species and their struggle to survive.
They are transferred onto the paper using an alcohol gel process which results in the images appearing somewhat transparent and, because of the paper, irregular. These imperfections symbolize the complex relationship between invasive and native plant species.
These shadow images were taken at Welsch Nature Preserve, the W.J. Beal Botanical Gardens, the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, and various Michigan nature preserves. The invasive plant species were responsibly harvested from nature reserves and roadsides.
THE ARTIST
Jane Kramer
Sayde Laine Anderson is a fiber artist, community builder, and maker working across disciplines to explore environmental and social issues through traditional craft techniques based in Durham, North Carolina. Her work is inspired by rethinking the relationship between art, sustainability, and the land.
She has been experimenting with natural dyes for the past six years and continues to find herself eager to explore the intersection of natural materials and plant color. The curiosity and wonder of her childhood continue to ground her practice. She enjoys exploring forests and fields where she lives in Durham, North Carolina, curious to see what plants or natural materials can extract a colorfast dye. Sayde forages for and grows dye plants in her neighborhood and partners with a local flower farm. Throughout this process, she often uses whole plants rather than extracts, so she has grown to understand the seasonal availability, growth cycles, and color potential of plants native to North Carolina. This knowledge allows her to develop color palettes specific to the seasons of the year and enables her to connect with the cycle of seasonal ecologies—both of which are foundational to her body of work.
In addition, Sayde has spent two summers with the SCA working as a member of the Joy Squad in the Growing Young Artist Program.
