Published on December 13, 2022 by Ashley Smith  
Mother Nature Mother Nurture Graphic

The Samford Art Gallery opens a new exhibition starting January 12, 2023.  Mother Nature / Mother Nurture features five artists living in the American South whose work is centered around climate change, motherhood, and the precarious nature of biological lifeThe exhibit is organized by Kariann Fuqua one of the featured artists. 

Artists included are: Allison Grant: Tuscaloosa, AL; Samford professor Lauren Frances Evans: Birmingham, AL; Kariann Fuqua: Oxford, MS; Annie Campbell: Auburn, AL and Brooke White: Oxford, MS.

The artists explore the “crucial interconnectivity to all biological life” and in the face of dramatic climate change, the need to “foster a sense of gratitude and responsibility for the natural world and its biological structures, both seen and invisible, so our children may someday know what is truly at stake, and more critically, help to mitigate and repair the damage that has been done.”

According to Fuqua, “the genesis for this exhibition began through a simple act of community building.  Bound by our common connections of artistic practice, motherhood, and professional positions held at universities, threads began to emerge from our work, not always apparent on the surface, but are deeply imbedded in the experiences of motherhood living in the midst of environmental uncertainty.”

The exhibit is generously supported by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.  Additionally, it is sponsored by Paul Barrett.

There is an opening reception on January 12 from 4:30-7 p.m. and the exhibit will run until February 23, 2023.  The Art Gallery is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and is located at 153 Swearingen Hall and open to the public. 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.