Nina Elder: "What Sustains: Landscapes for Curiosity and Connection"

How do rocks, trees, and holes in the Earth sustain your daily life? Artist and researcher Nina Elder uses art to answer this question, telling honest stories about the complex connections between humans and nature. In this traveling show, students are invited to view Nina’s large-scale realistic drawings to get curious about mines and clear cut forests. These permanently changed places show a legacy of industry, both as scars in the landscape and sites that support our needs.

The exhibition asks “What sustains?” The Earth endures, and so do the marks of human impact. Society is turning toward greater sustainability, yet we still extract our necessary materials from the planet. As the Art Truck travels around Utah, audiences will explore their relationship to the environment.

The list on the Truck’s exterior is Nina’s futile attempt to exhaustively list what sustains us: our ecosystems, networks, souls, communities, and cultural practices. Audiences are invited to contribute to an ongoing and growing list of what sustains life in Utah.

Thank you for collaborating with us and sustaining the vibrant contemporary art scene throughout the state!