MPF Webinar: The Nature of Things: Botany, Ecology, and Medieval Art

Medieval art was deeply linked to the environment through both material and symbolism. Learn more about how artists of the Middle Ages drew inspiration from plants and trees, capitalizing on their distinct properties to create extraordinary sculptures, cloth, and books. This talk will also reveal how the cultivation of plants for artmaking materials transformed the landscapes of medieval Europe, leaving an imprint that is still visible in some areas today. Medieval art was deeply linked to the environment through both material and symbolism. Learn more about how artists of the Middle Ages drew inspiration from plants and trees, capitalizing on their distinct properties to create extraordinary sculptures, cloth, and books. While this presentation centers on medieval Europe, it provides thought-provoking insights into the relationship between art and the environment throughout history and across geographies, including the Midwest.

Heather Alexis Smith is Assistant Curator at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation in the Grand Center Arts District in midtown St. Louis. She earned her BA in art history from the University of Florida, where she received the William and Sue Goza Award for Outstanding Research Papers in Art History. Heather earned her MA in art history and archaeology from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she focused on the art of the later Middle Ages and was recognized with an Outstanding Graduate Student Award in 2015. Since joining the Pulitzer in 2016, Heather has worked on a variety of exhibitions, with topics ranging from the destruction of artworks in ancient Egypt, drawing in 19th century Japan, and the practices of modern sculptors Ruth Asawa and Terry Adkins. Today’s talk focuses on her current exhibition, The Nature of Things: Medieval Art and Ecology, which investigates the intrinsic connections between art, people, and the environment in the second half of the Middle Ages in Europe.

This will not be recorded due to copyright restrictions with the artwork.

Cost: Free

If you have questions about registration, please contact outreach@moprairie.org.