An Ecology of Marks | January-March, 2022 | Arts@Large Spring Artist in Residency (Eco Literacy Cornerstone)

Above: Video created by Wm. Spencer Tait during the closing night celebration.

An Ecology of Marks is an exhibit that begins with a celebration of the power of paint, that shifts into an exploration of the variables of mark-making, influenced by the natural world. Earth pigment paints tell us stories of place, brushes wash up on the shores of Lake Michigan, and non-traditional surfaces encourage divergent approaches to composition. Every person is a mark-maker in multitudes, yet we have much to learn from marks made by the animate world around us. Artist Educator Jeff Zimpel brings together a wide-range of mark-makers to amplify and document the hope embedded within any given mark.

Opening Incantation for Ecology of Marks residency. Due to the Global Pandemic, a Gallery Night opening could not be had - instead, this short film was streamed live and an odd gathering of creative folk toasted the residency under the amber liquid river of cafe lights. Coe Douglas lent his bardic voice to the unfolding scenes, and he and Ethan Sorge helped to conjure the foundational concepts. My trip to Peru came about unexpectedly during the planning/curation of this residency, and the creation of this film. I’m positive that magical place, so full of living landscape, had a significant influence over what was created.