Terra Firma

In both its strength and fragility, land – the Terra Firma – is a source of pleasure, beauty and bounty, inspiring artists from every era. We have built our lives on the land; it is our physical foundation, essential for the survival of all human life, wildlife, and Earth’s vegetation – it is literally the ground beneath our feet and the dust to which we return.

We are attached to the land physically and emotionally. We become rooted by familiarity; the terrain shaped by the elements of our memory. Throughout history we have relied on the land for our needs, and for some it became desired ground to possess for power and prosperity. Mankind’s interest in the land manifests in our drive to explore, our technological innovations, economy, public policy, and community identities. All of which may come and go, but the land remains.

The fifteen artists contributing to Terra Firma explore our relationship with the land and present unique interpretations of meaning and connection. Together, the works in the exhibition relate to the physical and poetic features of land, while individually introducing important subthemes such as stewardship, environmental and social justice, time, place, identity, and migration. As you visit the mountains, valleys, plains and deserts that can be found within the exhibition, you are invited to explore your own connections to the land in all of its forms and in every sense.