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 be at 2 p.m. Eastern time Thursday in the Besse Theater.

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.

Cellerini Moore is a self-proclaimed space maker who nerds out about the impact of color, texture, light, and space in site-specific locations. Ideas are first explored with paper, materials experiments, and paint before being realized in the third or fourth dimensions. 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.

Because Cellerini Moore does not believe artists are immune from responsibly powering their multimedia installations, she endeavors to build and utilize green energy as often as possible. 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.

“Surrounded,” an artwork by Elizabeth Gartner Howe.

Cellerini Moore’s work is exhibited internationally. 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, N.C.

“‘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,” according to Cellerini Moore

Gartner Howe, an artist based in the Upper Peninsula, draws from more than 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. Each brushstroke is a deliberate effort to translate fleeting moments into timeless art. Using a blend of transparent oils and opaque bold strokes, she seeks to encapsulate nature’s magic, inviting viewers to join her on the journey. 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. “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.”