Evergreen Gallery Opens April 2nd with Artist Basia Irland

by Evergreen Communications Office
March 23, 2009

Basia Irland, Opening Remarks by President Les Purce

Gallery opening, art exhibition

April 2, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm (exhibition continues through April 29, 2009)
The Evergreen State College Gallery, Main Floor of The Daniel J. Evans Library at Evergreen

Basia Irland is a sculptor and installation artist, a poet and book artist, and an activist in international water issues. Her thoughtful interdisciplinary projects combine beautiful artworks, a fascination with research, and a participative engagement with the viewer.

The exhibition at Evergreen Gallery, A Gathering of Waters: The Nisqually River, Source to Sound includes a survey of Irland’s earlier artworks, which provides context for her recent project created while working as an artist-in-residence. Through this grass-roots participatory project, Irland has sought to connect people and bring more attention to ongoing efforts for protecting and honoring our rivers and streams. While exploring the effect of human controls and demands on rivers, it celebrates the people who work to conserve our watershed.

This project is generously supported by a gift from the Tom Rye Harvill Award.

Irland is Professor Emerita, University of New Mexico, Department of Art and Art History. She has created projects about water issues throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is in 22 permanent collections including the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Public Archives of Canada, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. She has received numerous grants and awards including a Fulbright Senior Research Award to Southeast Asia. In 1999, Irland produced a documentary that was shown on PBS: A Gathering of Waters: The Rio Grande, Source to Sea. A monograph on her art, titled Water Library, was published in 2007 by University of New Mexico Press.

More Information: Opening Day Slide Show | The Evergreen Gallery

Artist’s web site: http://www.unm.edu/~basia/BIRLAND/