Interweavings exhibit opens January 16 at Sarah Spurgeon Gallery

Beginning next week, the Sarah Spurgeon Gallery at Central Washington University will host an exhibition titled Interweavings: Photography and Sculpture by Jeanne K. Simmons. The opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, January 16, from 5-7 p.m. in Randall Hall, room 141.

Simmons is an environmental artist based in Port Townsend. Her work expresses reverence for the natural world, and a deeply held belief that humans are part of its complex and beautiful fabric.

The exhibit features photographs of figures posed and integrated into the landscape, with foraged grasses, vines, and branches woven into elegant garments and hair extensions. Simmons’ sculptural work incorporates materials such as bark, thorns, and roots into objects that resonate with personal narrative.

“With my work, I attempt to describe a connectedness between us and our environment that seems to have been all but forsaken,” Simmons explains. “I hope to nurture this dynamic relationship, which is both our birthright and our obligation, and to perhaps even rekindle and reawaken a yearning for it in others.”

Simmons earned her BFA in sculpture from the Maine College of Art and received a residency at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. She worked in youth services in public libraries for 11 years before pursuing a career as a full-time artist.

Interweavings: Photography and Sculpture by Jeanne K. Simmons will remain on view through February 8. Sarah Spurgeon Gallery is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 1-5 p.m. The gallery will be closed Monday, January 20, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

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Image Caption:

Jeanne K. Simmons, Phoenix from the Flame (for Sinead), Photography, 29 ½ in. x 24 in., 2023