Anne Morgan’s Art Inspired by Nature
Have you stopped in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Suite in Peck Hall recently? Navigate your way to room 3409 and you will find Anne Morgan’s recent body of artwork hanging alongside the fossilized specimens that normally populate the walls there.
An undergraduate art & design major, Morgan’s series, Entdecken, closed out her Research in Drawing course this spring with Professor Brigham Dimick. Though Morgan is placing an emphasis on ceramics, she excels in the 2-D arts with the ability to change the dynamic of an entire room with her work. “Anne’s art is reflective of her deep engagement with nature. She was a very self directed student and does an impressive amount of research that informs her artwork,” commented Dimick.
Upon viewing, Morgan’s pieces seamlessly coexist with the imprints, tracks, and trails–breathing color and life into the mostly monochromatic fossils. “Growing up I would explore the creeks and there were crinoid fossils everywhere–I was fascinated with them. For this body of work, I wanted to focus on the species in the area that were fossilized,” Morgan stated and continued, “The hands represent human discovery and how much we still have yet to figure out.”
Morgan began with drawing and painting but after taking a ceramics course, she found that her true passion was in creating 3-D works. Her forms have brought attention to species that serve as indicators of environmental health like amphibians. “Initially I focused on frogs but then my research expanded into the Ozark Hellbender,” she commented.
“Anne’s research journal reveals copious amounts of notes that inform the evolution of her visual language, ranging from information about crinoids and hellbender salamanders, on one hand, to image collecting and written analysis of contemporary artists who make work about the natural world,” said Dimick.
Her course with Dimick brought her back full-circle to where it all began–drawing. “I had not taken drawing in so long and Brigham is really good at making you push yourself. The class involved a lot of research and it reminded me of why I create the forms that I do.”
This summer Morgan said that she plans to make more amphibian-based forms. You can view more of her work on instagram @ceramaderp.
