October 25 – December 15, 2022 Free Admission
Opening Reception and Artist Talk – Tuesday, October 25 at 6:00 PM
Mollusk Meditation – Saturday, November 12 at 12:00 PM
Essex Art Center is honored to present HUMAN METEORITE by Jemila MacEwan (b. 1985), a Scottish-born Australian immigrant living in New York City. Their works offer space to feel and express the emotional weight of the current ecological crisis. The artist creates intimately intertwined performances, earthworks, installations, and films within many distinct ecosystems and landscapes around the world.
HUMAN METEORITE at Essex Art Center brings together a decade of projects that reflect MacEwan’s deepening commitment to ecological, land-responsive, spiritually-grounded modes of art practice. In the face of environmental crises, the artist asks questions like ‘How would a glacier tell this story?’ and ‘What does a meteorite feel as it impacts the earth?’
Since 2013, MacEwan has embraced interspecies and interelemental understanding—meteorites, maiden grass, mollusks, volcanoes, and melting glaciers, are called upon to share their perspectives. The artist explains that with the loss of our ecosystems and landscapes comes the loss of the planetary knowledge contained within them.
MacEwan asserts that the first step in responsibility for planetary repair is to stay emotionally present. Through each piece, the artist establishes a deep, meditative presence that refuses to ignore our current reality.
About Essex Art Center
Founded in 1993, Essex Art Center is a nonprofit organization that offers fine arts education, community outreach, and contemporary art exhibitions. The Center has an ambitious curatorial vision and sees art as a connector in our community and a platform for communication about issues that matter. We use our galleries to enact our organization’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion commitment, which seeks to elevate historically underrepresented artists, including women, BIPOC, and People with Disabilities. Essex Art Center’s galleries and correlating special events are always free and open to the public.
GALLERY HOURS
Monday – Thursday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
LOCATION
Essex Art Center
56 Island Street
Lawrence, MA 01840
ARTWORK CREDIT
All images courtesy Jemila MacEwan
What is Creative Collective?
Creative Collective is a group of economic development strategists, small business supporters, activation specialists, and believers in the importance of the creative workforce. We foster growth, sustainability, and scalability for small businesses, creative thinkers, organizations, entrepreneurs, and innovators. Learn more and join Creative Collective at www.creativecollectivema.com/join