ESCANABA – Bay College has announced the exhibitions, reception and panel discussion for The Celebration of Women’s History Month by artists Kathryn Cellerini Moore and Elizabeth Gartner Howe.

Kathryn Cellerini Moore’s installation will be on view in the Hartwig Gallery and Elizabeth Gartner Howe’s paintings will be on display in the Besse Gallery. The opening reception and panel discussion will take place March 5 at 2 p.m. in the Besse Theater. This event is free and open to the public.

Kathryn Cellerini Moore

Cellerini Moore is a curious human, mom, activist and interdisciplinary artist who likes to ask questions. Their favorite questions in the studio and in life are “What if?” and “Why not?” It’s often the subject of the question that drives the media Cellerini Moore works with.

An ever-strengthening determination to use hyper-locally sourced materials and earth-friendly items to create their art, Cellerini Moore’s artistic research celebrates iteration and play, champions inquiry and encourages wonder and awareness.

Cellerini Moore’s projects are often collaborative and created in partnership with students and peers, as well as scientists from institutions around the globe including the University of Washington, the University of Iceland, Oregon State University, Willamette University, The Sloan Digital Sky Survey and BioPol Laboratories in Iceland.

Their solo and collaborative projects have been awarded funding from Climate Action Now, The Ford Family Foundation, The Oregon Arts Commission, The Work Consortium Grant and The Gretchen Schuette Endowment. In partnership with The Art Center, “Glint, Glimmer, Glow” received a grant from Pacific Power, which funded the collaboration with the Oregon State University College of Engineering capstone students to build a renewable energy system to power the exhibition.​

Cellerini Moore received an MFA in Studio Art from Stony Brook University, a BS in Psychology and a BFA in Applied Visual Arts from Oregon State University. They are currently an Assistant Professor of Painting and Drawing at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, NC, USA.

Artist Statement

In the 1960s, Apollo 8 astronauts flew spacecraft around the moon and used a camera to take photographs of Earth from space for the first time. Those first human-captured photographs of spaceship Earth changed humanity’s collective perception about how small, fragile, and precious Earth is. For example, in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency was founded after those pictures were released to the public. “Earth Day” was created.

Environmental awareness and humanity’s impact on climate and finite resources became more broadly recognized. In recent years I have been wondering what the next mind-blowing discovery or image will be. When will we witness such a great impact on the human psyche that we decide to be as resourceful and kind to our planet and to each other as we have the potential to be? My artistic research asks these questions and reaches for possible aesthetic solutions that will inspire people to do well by themselves and the planet.

Kaleidoscopic Soup is where the galactic and microcosmic commingle and meld together. Videos of creatures under my own microscope and that of scientist James Weiss, undersea volcanic scenes from the Schmidt Ocean Institute, and scenes captured during my experience as a pregnant person, are warped by pirouetting petri dishes into speckled, nebular vistas. The emergent and waning nebular forms reference the beauty and power of full-fledged galactic nebulae, which are the aftermath of the universe’s most explosive, generative recycling agents. The soundtrack includes clips from NASA Chandra X-Ray Sonification Project files that assign soundwaves to nebula images, interspersed with music made by some of Earth’s very own cicadas.

Kaleidoscopic Soup also features auroral structures that undulate through space, mimicking the liminal dance that cultures across the globe have passed down stories about. In a moment of environmental insecurity, where even a dark evening sky is at risk, Kaleidoscopic Soup is intended to re-spark curiosity and connect viewers’ own experience with that of the earth and cosmos.

Elizabeth Gartner Howe

Elizabeth Gartner Howe, an artist based in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, draws from over 45 years of experience painting directly from nature. Her works, executed in oils and acrylics, convey texture, temperature, wind and water with soft hues and dynamic strokes. Well mentored by master artists, she has gained recognition in various mediums and selectively participates in exhibitions while also teaching art in her studio for three decades.

Gartner Howe’s art reflects a continuous pursuit of joy and exploration, capturing the interplay between softness and dramatic textures in natural landscapes. In her artistic journey, she aims to capture nature’s essence through vibrant paintings, drawing from the wilderness for inspiration. Her preference for large-scale works allows her to immerse herself fully in the landscapes she portrays, offering observers a window into realms where reality and imagination intertwine.

Beyond visual aesthetics, her art aims to evoke profound emotional responses, tapping into our personal connections with our natural world, striving to encapsulate it’s very soul while inviting viewers and collectors to embark on a journey of personal connection and wonder.

Artist Statement

With my paintings I aim to bring the viewer closer to the natural world. I am inspired by forms and shapes of nature and the way light and shadow bring them to life. I love all the seasons and am moved by the colors each season brings. I see colors in nature that push the boundaries of what is expected. I am just so moved to bring that out, challenging the expectations of what we think nature looks like.

In my work I use the push and pull of transparent oil paints and opaques on wood panels to bring full on landscapes awake with bold strokes and colors, then pulling color through creating that sense of magic we can feel in nature when we see color reflecting in water and for a moment or two, we forget we are looking at water. Or when we look up into the trees and a gust of wind sends them dancing, the whirlwind kicking up the leaves or the fog rolling in. The representation of nature as well as its magic so you disappear into the moment and feel it. Leaving the interpretation of that moment to the viewer.