Solo Show "Landscape Holds Memory" - Sears Art Museum Eccles Grand Foyér
Opens November 13, 2026, on Exhibition through January 8, 2027

I am so honored to invite everyone to the opening reception of "Landscape Holds Memory", Friday, November 13, 6:30-8:30pm, celebrating the body of work from my 2025 Bears Ears Artist Residency, hosted by the Sears Art Museum in St George, Utah.

In October of 2025 I arrived in pouring rain to Bears Ears to serve my artist residency. Storms had been hitting the area. There was run-off along the rivers and washes, newly formed waterfalls off the canyons, even tornados across the desert. It wasn’t what I expected, but then not much was exactly as I expected.

Mere days before I arrived, the government was shut down, which eliminated my opportunity to stay on the Cedar Mesa at Kane ranger station. This act of shutting down gave me an eerie premonition that Bears Ears was ultimately to be at risk. Folks from Bluff and the Bears Ears Educational Center stepped in to find me a great place to stay and so Bluff became my center base of exploration.

Adjustments to my residency included becoming a regular at Cow Canyon Coffee each morning to fill up before heading out, and active involvement in the Bluff Arts Festival, including teaching workshops there and at the Whitehorse High School art scholars. Without ranger support, I didn’t delve into extended remote canyon exploration as much as I would have had there been ranger guidance. But I also explored many areas I might not have if I had been staying out on the Cedar Mesa the entire time. And, I appreciated the welcoming community.

The title of this exhibition reflects our collective treasure of this sacred land of Bears Ears. Serving this artist residency at Bears Ears was extremely transformational for me. Feeling that I was free to explore what is in effect probably our most precious American “Sistine Chapel” was a tremendous gift. The complexities and history of how humans see, shape, and revere the environment underline the importance of preserving these lands. The sheer quantity of archaeological sites, roads and artifacts is critical to protect in perpetuity.

This residency had a profound effect on me as an artist. Traveling throughout the Bears Ears I attempted to imagine the experiences of the people who lived and witnessed the eras of this land, the sheer legacy of it. The greater Bears Ears lands, whether protected under a federal system or protected by those that hold it dear, holds a rich history of resilience, sacredness, wildlife ecosystems, and cultural and historic resources. The land whispered to me, “Protect Me”.

This landscape will hold my memory forever.