LISLE, Ill. (Dec. 15, 2022)—The Morton Arboretum today announced its next large-scale sculpture exhibition, Of the Earth, which will feature five exclusive new works by Polish American artist Olga Ziemska, opening May 26, 2023.
“Olga will bring a fresh and evocative new display to The Morton Arboretum’s art exhibition program, which has enhanced the guest experience among our tree collections,” said Preston Bautista, Ph.D., the Arboretum’s vice president of learning and engagement.
In Polish, Ziemska means “of the earth.” Her work will be created from reclaimed tree branches and other natural materials gathered from various locations throughout the Arboretum’s 1,700 acres. Ziemska said that some of the Arboretum’s tree-filled landscapes inspired her because they reminded her of the landscapes of Poland, where she has previously lived and regularly visits her family.
Ziemska said that her aim is to remind people, “Everything in life is derived from the same basic elements that form everything in nature, including ourselves. There is no separation.” This will be the Cleveland, Ohio-based artist’s largest public exhibition to date.
Ziemska has built a career in the male-dominated art world, exploring her multiple identities as a first-generation child of Polish immigrants, an American, an artist, a woman and a human. She 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.
“The experience of art paired with nature throughout the Arboretum has been very appealing to both frequent visitors and those coming for the very first time,” said Bautista. “We are continuing this approach of one-of-a-kind exhibitions aligned with the Arboretum’s mission that really motivate people to get outdoors among trees and explore nature.”
The exhibition will run through spring 2025. More information and exhibition updates are available on the Arboretum’s website at mortonarb.org.
The Arboretum’s current exhibition, Human+Nature, will officially close at the end of February 2023, while some of the eight sculptures by artist Daniel Popper will still be on view into March. The sculptures may be exhibited elsewhere by Popper, with those details yet to be determined by the artist.
About Olga Ziemska
Olga Ziemska is a sculptor and artist who lives and works in Cleveland, Ohio. 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. 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. Ziemska was selected by Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery as a 2018 Woman Artist to Watch. She is a graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design and an alumnus of the Rhode Island School of Design. For more information, see the Arboretum’s website at mortonarb.org.
Photos are available in Dropbox.