Of the Earth

An exhibition of large-scale sculptures now open at The Morton Arboretum

Five large-scale sculptures by Polish American artist Olga Ziemska have been created exclusively for an exhibition, Of the Earth, at The Morton Arboretum.

The exhibition explores the artist’s expression and philosophy that, she says, “We are nature.” Ziemska said that her aim is to remind people that “everything in life is derived from the same basic elements that form everything in nature, including ourselves. There is no separation.” In Polish, Ziemska means “of the earth.”

The artist’s work was created from reclaimed and pruned tree branches and other natural materials gathered from various locations throughout the Arboretum’s 1,700 acres. “I am giving reclaimed natural materials a new life and transforming them from nature into new forms,” Ziemska said.

This is the largest exhibition to date for Ziemska, who lives and works in Cleveland, Ohio. Ziemska has exhibited and created public installations in Poland, Taiwan, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, and other locations globally in a career spanning more than 20 years. Her work entwines and melds the human body with other natural forms, which she notes, “reminds us of our own physicality of seamless connection to the earth and nature.”

The Arboretum’s tree-filled landscapes inspired Ziemska because areas of the Arboretum remind her of the landscapes of Poland, where she previously lived and the majority of her family remains. She has built her career in the male-dominated sculpture world, exploring her multiple identities as a first-generation child of immigrants, an American, an artist, a woman, and a human.

The exhibition will run through spring 2025.

Supported by

Olga Ziemska, Sculptor and Artist

Olga Ziemska is a sculptor and artist who lives and works in Cleveland, Ohio. Her newest and largest sculptural exhibition to date, Of the Earth, is now open at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois.

Olga’s work has been exhibited throughout the United States, as well as in Poland, Taiwan, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, and other international locations. She has had residencies with the Centre of Polish Sculpture in Poland, YATOO International in Korea, RespirArt Sculpture Park in the Dolomite Mountains of Italy, and the Taoyuan Land Art Festival in Taiwan.

She approaches her work by drawing on her multiple identities as a first-generation child of Polish immigrants, an American, a woman, an artist, and a human.

Among her prestigious grants and awards were a Fulbright Fellowship and a Creative Workforce Fellowship. In 2007, Ziemska was selected as a Wendy L. Moore Emerging Artist by the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland. The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery selected her as its 2018 Women Artist to Watch. She is a graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design and an alumnus of the Rhode Island School of Design.

Find the Sculptures

Five large-scale sculptures can be found throughout the Arboretum grounds. All of the sculptures are available within a short walk from a parking lot. For those who would enjoy a longer walk, Stillness in Motion: The Matka series, Hear: With an ear to the ground, and Strata are within less than a two-mile round trip walk from the Visitor Center. Oculus is approximately four miles round trip from the Visitor Center via Arboretum walking trails.

East Side (view map)

Stillness in Motion: The Matka series
Arbor Court outside the Visitor Center (near Parking Lot 1, wheelchair accessible)

Hear: With an ear to the ground
Meadow Lake (near parking lots 1 and 2, wheelchair accessible)

Strata
Rose Family Collection (Parking Lot 4; sculpture can be viewed from the road and the parking area)

Oculus
Beech and Maple collections (Parking Lot 14; sculpture can be viewed from the parking area, a short walk up an inclined path

West Side (view map)

Ona
European Collection (parking lots 19 and 20, a short walk on a chipped trail)

Where are the sculptures located?

East Side

Stillness in Motion: The Matka series is in Arbor Court outside the Visitor Center. (Parking Lot 1, wheelchair accessible)

Hear: With an ear to the ground is near Meadow Lake (parking lots 1 and 2, wheelchair accessible)

Strata is near the Rose Family Collection (Parking Lot 4; the sculpture can be viewed from the road and the parking area.)

Oculus is near the Beech and Maple collections (Parking Lot 14; the sculpture can be viewed from the parking area, a short walk up an inclined path.)

West Side

Ona is near the European Collection (parking lots 19 and 20, a short walk on a chipped trail)
What are the names of the sculptures?

East Side

Stillness in Motion: The Matka series, Of the Earth’s signature piece, is the newest in Ziemska’s Matka (“mother” in Polish) series, following versions in Romania and Poland. Located outside the Arboretum’s Visitor Center, the 6-foot-tall female figure is composed mostly of willow tree branches.

Oculus comprises two 10-foot-tall human head profiles fit with hundreds of varying sizes of tree cookies, or the cross-section of a tree, and mirrored eyes that reflect the surrounding Maple Collection.

Strata is inspired by a recurring theme in Ziemska’s work that considers the “body as landscape.” Strata is a 45-foot-long reclining female figure emerging from the ground at the base of a hill in the Crabapple Collection.

Hear: With an ear to the ground, features thousands of white river rocks that pattern the surface of a 5-foot-tall horizontal human head that appears to be at rest in its natural surroundings, with Meadow Lake as its backdrop.

West Side

Ona (“she” in Polish) is the sole sculpture on the Arboretum’s West Side. The 14-foot-tall piece depicts a woman with windswept hair of tree branches and eyes of mirrors.
Can people climb on the new sculptures? Are the sculptures interactive?

For guest safety and care of the sculptures, guests may not climb on the sculptures. However, the sculptures were designed and positioned with photo opportunities in mind, and guests are welcome to touch the sculptures.
Are the sculptures accessible by wheelchair? Can I see any of the sculptures from the road?

Stillness in Motion: The Matka series, in Arbor Court, is fully accessible by wheelchair.

Hear: With an ear to the ground can be seen while driving past Meadow Lake. It is accessible by wheelchair on paved paths from the Visitor Center or parking lots 1 and 2.

Strata is visible a short distance from the road on the East Side approaching the Crabapple Collection, and can be seen or is a very short walk from Parking Lot 4.

Oculus (on the East Side, Parking Lot 14) and Ona (on the West Side, Parking Lot 20) are visible at a distance from Arboretum roads or a short walk via chipped trails from parking areas. These two sculptures are not accessible by wheelchair.
What do Matka and Ona mean?

Both are Polish terms. Matka means “mother” and Ona means “she.”
How were the names of the sculptures decided?

The names were chosen by the artist, Olga Ziemska.
Is there an additional charge for tickets to see Of the Earth?

The exhibition is included with member passes and general admission tickets to the Arboretum.
What materials were used to make the sculptures?

The sculptures are made of both organic and manufactured materials, including steel and glass-fiber reinforced concrete necessary to withstand the Midwest’s weather variations. Arboretum volunteers spent several weeks laying the groundwork for creation of the unique pieces by collecting, pruning, and preparing natural materials, such as fallen tree branches from sugar maple, hackberry, linden, willow, elm and wild black cherry trees at the Arboretum.
What will happen to the Of the Earth sculptures when the exhibition ends in Spring 2025?

The artist, Olga Ziemska, owns the sculptures and will remove or relocate them at the end of the exhibition.
Why won’t the Arboretum keep any of the sculptures?

The goal of the Arboretum’s outdoor large-scale art program is to provide a range of artists with an opportunity to be inspired by its beautiful landscapes and tree and plant collections, and to present their works to new audiences. Rather than retain art in permanent collections, the Arboretum seeks to enhance the ways members and guests experience the Arboretum through an ongoing rotation of exhibitions.