INSTAAR's Shelly Sommer is one of seven artists combining their work into the Assiduous exhibit at the Dairy Arts Center from July 14th - September 9th, 2023.

Assiduous is an invitation to explore the ties that bind us, the quiet whispers of connection, and the profound impact that arises when hands move purposefully, shaping something meaningful, piece by piece.

Featuring:
Andrea Dolter, Chelsea Kaiah, Wendy Kowynia, Jennifer Pettus, Melissa Pickering, Shelly Sommer, Rebecca Vaughan

Comments from Shelly on her fiber piece titled "The Anthropocene" and inspired by a publication by INSTAAR Professor emerita Jaia Syvitski:

As a science communicator, I have the job of translating the grim results of climate studies into news stories and media. As the reality of climate change becomes ever more apparent in the Northern Hemisphere, that task becomes freighted with despair. This quilt was made in response to the human impact documented in Syvitski, et al., 2021 (doi 10.1038/s43247-020-00029-y). Our imprint is so heavy that even if we vanish as a species, it will be carved into the very air and layers of Earth for all time. This piece, with its surface bound in layers that originate in oil, is a tiny window into that overwhelming state. Facing it is like looking into a pool of oil with a faint, broken reflection of yourself.

This experiment in reclaiming discarded materials is woven from VHS tape, backed with cotton/linen scraps, and minimally hand quilted.

INSTAAR's Shelly Sommer is one of seven artists combining their work into the Assiduous exhibit at the Dairy Arts Center from July 14th - September 9th, 2023.

Assiduous is an invitation to explore the ties that bind us, the quiet whispers of connection, and the profound impact that arises when hands move purposefully, shaping something meaningful, piece by piece.

Featuring:
Andrea Dolter, Chelsea Kaiah, Wendy Kowynia, Jennifer Pettus, Melissa Pickering, Shelly Sommer, Rebecca Vaughan

Comments from Shelly on her fiber piece titled "The Anthropocene" and inspired by a publication by INSTAAR Professor emerita Jaia Syvitski:

As a science communicator, I have the job of translating the grim results of climate studies into news stories and media. As the reality of climate change becomes ever more apparent in the Northern Hemisphere, that task becomes freighted with despair. This quilt was made in response to the human impact documented in Syvitski, et al., 2021 (doi 10.1038/s43247-020-00029-y). Our imprint is so heavy that even if we vanish as a species, it will be carved into the very air and layers of Earth for all time. This piece, with its surface bound in layers that originate in oil, is a tiny window into that overwhelming state. Facing it is like looking into a pool of oil with a faint, broken reflection of yourself.

This experiment in reclaiming discarded materials is woven from VHS tape, backed with cotton/linen scraps, and minimally hand quilted.