Natalie Pax, Art Environment and Sustainability
Western Colorado University; Masters in Environmental Management Program
Although my background is largely in environmental studies and community-based food systems, I believe that art has a place in every aspect of our work and lives. Art holds the potentiality to catalyze a shift in the way we understand and relate to the earth, others, and ourselves.
My intention when coming to Elsewhere was to explore place-based and community-engaged artwork. Throughout the month, I walked around town and the surrounding landscape, gathering various natural objects, discarded items, and even materials deemed "trash."
My work explores the embodiment of a place through sensory exploration. In my interactions with the landscape of Paonia, I engaged with my senses in an effort to understand and connect to the locale through the body. I smelled the flowers and the clay from the riverbank, felt the gritty soil in my fingertips, tasted food grown in this area, listened to the birds and the conversations of strangers, and saw many beautiful vistas. The sculptural collages that I have created reflect my experiences of this place and the exploration of the transient and ever-changing qualities of various materials to which we interact.
Just as materials and elements of the earth naturally change, erode, or transform altogether, my pieces are not meant to last forever. In time, they too will change form. My hope is that in the future, someone may find my artwork or the materials it consists of and create something new and equally as evocative, imaginative, and beautiful.
