BECOMING ANIMAL: STANDING WITNESS FOR THE SENTIENT WILD

Opening to the public October 30th, 2015

Artist and wildlife biologist Sharon K. Schafer writes that “we are estranged from nature, possessed by an inability to connect, communicate and empathize with the more-than-human world.” In her latest exhibit, Becoming Animal: Standing Witness for the Sentient Wild, Schafer invites us to step forward into the circle of family and acknowledge our kinship with Nature while examining our ever-increasing estrangement and disconnection from this precious planet.

Known for her work with watercolor, graphite, acrylic, and color photography, Sharon K. Schafer chose to tell this story through the use of black and white photography. She explains that “with color removed, a monochromatic image becomes pure bone. A vision emerges that is stripped of non-essentials, and yields an image that is unrelentingly fierce in its reciprocal gaze.”

In Becoming Animal, Schafer’s goal is to warn people of the consequences of our false sense of separation from the world. Schafer argues that these images are messages from the edge, warnings of our growing estrangement with the world and the desperate need to recognize and accept our place in nature. These photographs are a reminder humanity’s deepest fear is not that we are separate from nature, but rather that we are a part of it.

Sharon K. Schafer is a wildlife biologist by education and an artist and photographer by passion. She finds unending inspiration in exploring the exquisite detail as well as the secretive beauty and complexity of Nature. She works at the confluence of these disciplines creating images that open eyes and hearts to the life and landscapes of the world’s great wild places. In doing so, she attempts to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the beauty, diversity, and grace of our fragile planet.

This exhibit opens October 30th, 2015, with a special evening reception for museum members on October 29th. Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas is open 10 am to 6 pm, Thursday through Monday. Admission is $9.95 for locals; free for museum members and ages 17 and younger. For more information please contact Sali Underwood at sunderwood@nevadaculture.org or 702-822-8737.

Please visit Skydance Studio for more information about Sharon K. Schafer.

And to view more examples of the artwork in Becoming Animal, visit our Pinterest.