Mill District Resident, Kathy Franzen, One of Ten Artists Featured in Upcoming James J. Hill House Botanical Exhibit, Art from the Edge of the Boreal Forest: Reflecting Biodiversity

Exhibit runs from January 18 - June 21, 2020 at the James J. Hill House, 240 Summit Avenue, St. Paul

Ten Minnesota botanical artists working with a forest ecologist, an ornithologist and an entomologist have created a visual archive of ten trees in Minnesota’s northern boreal forest most vulnerable to climate change. The Art from the Edge of the Boreal Forest: Reflecting Biodiversity exhibit opens soon at the James J. Hill House in St. Paul and will feature 120 original works of art. The birds, insects and plants associated with the trees, plus those expected to migrate into the forest are also included, as are several decorative wood vessels created by Bob Carls, woodturning artist and co-owner of the Ripple River Art Gallery in Aitkin, MN.

This collection is important as an archival record because the ecology is undergoing slow, silent but significant change due to disturbances caused by fire, invasive insects and stressful climate conditions. The ecosystems on the lower edge of the boreal forest, such as those in northern Minnesota, are much more susceptible to these environmental disturbances.

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Below are five samples of the botanical art you'll see at the Art From the Edge of the Boreal Forest: Reflecting Biodiversity exhibit:

Marj Davis, Hexagonal-pored Polypore Mushroom, Polyporus alveolar

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Kathleen Franzen, Two Spot Sphinx Moths: male, Smerinthus jamaicensis

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Julie Martinez, Bay-breasted Warbler, Dendroica castanea

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Mary Anne O'Malley, Black Ash Branch in Summer, The Intertwining, Fraxnux nigra

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Bruce Wilson, Pitcher Plant, Purple or Side-saddle Flower, Sarracenia purpurpea

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The exhibit runs from January 18 - June 21, 2020. The James J. Hill House is located at 240 Summit Avenue in St. Paul. Admission to just the gallery is free. The $6/$10 admission fee for the House includes the gallery. Minnesota Historical Society members are free. The exhibit opening reception will be in the spring. To keep informed on current events, programs, and special offers related to the exhibition, subscribe to the MNHS e-newsletter.

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Editor's Note: 

Our Mill District neighbors Kathy Franzen and her husband Phil Hage are world travelers, and every year Kathy sketches plant life at the location they're visiting. Kathy has gifted us with a frameable image, complete with the history of the land and flora, every Holiday season for a number of years. We treasure these works of art and hope you have the opportunity to view her work at the upcoming Art From the Edge of the Boreal Forest: Reflecting Biodiversity exhibit. (An added bonus is touring the spectacular James J. Hill House!)