Brushwood Center presents new art exhibit

RIVERWOODS – Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods, in collaboration with the Hyde Park Art Center and collector, artist and environmental scientist Patric McCoy, presents an exhibition of artwork celebrating the diverse ways in which we connect with and are shaped by nature.

The exhibition, “Connecting to Our Common Ground,” is free and open to the public at Brushwood Center until Oct. 29.

“Connecting To Our Common Ground” is a special exhibition in honor of Brushwood Center’s 2023 Smith Nature Symposium Awardee Baratunde Thurston. Renowned for his PBS show “America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston,” Thurston travels the country to uncover complex relationship with the outdoors.

The exhibition explores the ways that artists from different communities experience the natural world through painting, mixed media and photography. It seeks to answer questions such as How has nature been an important part of their lives? In what ways has their time outside been impacted by climate change, equity or access? How has their relationship with nature shaped who they are as people?

Featured artists include Paul Branton, Peter Gray, Ken Hester, Renee Robbins, Sheri Rush, Farah Salem, Preston Lewis Thomas and Julian E. Williams Jr.

“Connecting to Our Common Ground” is part of the 40th annual Smith Nature Symposium Event Series celebrating Brushwood Center’s 40th anniversary through an exciting lineup of artists, programs and change-makers.

For more information about the exhibition, artist biographies and related events, visit https://www.brushwoodcenter.org/https://www.brushwoodcenter.org/