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
Jane is a fine art photographer in East Lansing, Michigan and recipient of an Individual Artist Grant and a Chris Clark Fellowship from the Arts Council of Greater Lansing. She has a degree in Anthropology from the University of Minnesota and photography training from the Rocky Mountain School of Photography in Missoula, Montana.
Jane’s projects are created with a conceptual approach and are focused on environmental and social issues.
Her ongoing project, 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.
