Year: 2019-2022
Dimensions: 28’ x 8’Â
Medium/ Technique: Thread/ Machine Embroidery
**Produced with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council
“Prairie Plant Studies” originates from pressed flower specimens indigenous to the Wisconsin prairie that I studied at the Wisconsin State Herbarium during a 2019 research visit to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The work investigates how botanical forms move between scientific documentation and decorative tradition—tracing connections between herbarium specimens, textile patterns, and wallpaper designs.
Each embroidered study is created by sewing into water-soluble fabric, building up dense layers of stitched lines and crossing threads. When the fabric dissolves, the thread drawings hold together through their own interlocking structure, suspended without backing. This technique echoes the subject matter itself: just as prairie plant ecologies function as interconnected biological networks where individual species sustain each other through root systems and symbiotic relationships, these thread works depend on accumulated connections to maintain their integrity.
The species I reference—goldenrod, milkweed, and other native plants—are markers of memory and place. The recent movement to restore these ecosystems made me think of how these plants represent both loss and the possibility of regeneration.
This work has been included in the following exhibitions:
Exhibition: Suspended Landscapes at the Chazen Museum of Art
