Elmhurst Art Museum’s ‘Sustenance & Land’ exhibit to feature multimedia works examining environmental themes

The Elmhurst Art Museum presents the environmentally focused group exhibition “Sustenance & Land: Five Artists Consider Our Relationship With the Earth” and related programs that explore human connection to the land and the many ways the earth sustains us.

Participating artists Lydia Cheshewalla, Barbara Ciurej and Lindsay Lochman, Tomiko Jones, Claire Pentecost, and Chunbo Zhang work in a variety of methodologies to explore a broad spectrum of themes including nutrition, cultural relationship to food, scientific investigation, spirit, history, and the future. Humor and creativity are woven throughout the exhibition, guiding viewers through a rich tapestry of ideas about how we interact with the earth.

Curated by Liz Chilsen, the exhibit opens Jan. 25 and continues to April 27 at the Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 S. Cottage Hill Ave.

“Sustenance & Land” is a timely exhibition offering a meaningful reflection on the relationship between art, the land, and sustainability. By exploring how landscapes are shaped by human interaction, cultural beliefs, and ecological shifts, these artists highlight the urgency of addressing the environmental crisis through creative expression,” said Allison Peters Quinn, executive director and chief curator of the Elmhurst Art Museum. “The exhibition connects contemporary concerns about our food production, care, and climate change with artistic practices, fostering a deeper understanding of the natural world and our impact on it.”

Highlights of the exhibition include Ciurej and Lochman’s “Processed Views: Surveying the Industrial Landscape,” a series which interprets the frontier of industrial food production and the alarming intersection of nature and technology. Also featured is Ciurej and Lochman’s “Recipes for Disaster,” a 68-page book of recipes that address the dangers of the climate crisis.

Chinese-born, Chicago-based artist Chunbo Zhang explores cultural influences and differences between Chinese and American cultures by looking at food presentation. Her seductive watercolors of American staples, such as Chicago-style deep dish pizza and burgers, critically examine American consumption.

Osage artist Lydia Cheshewalla presents a multimedia installation featuring a short film meditation on her relationship with nature. Her multifaceted, land-based practice shows a gentle care for the landscape, inspiring viewers to approach nature with curiosity and to take restorative actions for the earth.

Claire Pentecost interrogates the imaginative and institutional structures that organize divisions of knowledge, focusing on nature, artificiality, and food systems. In “Our Bodies Our Soils,” Pentecost collects soil samples from a wide variety of farms and presents them in jars reminiscent of apothecary inventories or pharmaceutical processes, addressing the state of our soils and its intersection with health.

Tomiko Jones explores the intersection of personal narrative, nature, and the geography of changing landscapes in her multimedia works combining digital photography with traditional cyanotype and platinotype printing processes.

For this exhibition, Jones presents several photographic series and “The Living Wall,” an installation made while in residence on Door County peninsula in summer 2024 featuring digital prints, cyanotypes, objects, found material, and ephemera that reflect deep connection to the land. Jones lived and worked in her mobile research studio, a 20-foot travel trailer that enabled her to travel and work in the field.

Finally, a two-person exhibition in Mies van der Rohe’s McCormick House presents remarkable black and white landscape photographs by Chicago photographers Joe Jachna and Michael Tropea.

Images by Jachna redefine the landscape in abstract compositions often incorporating light and reflection, which impart a mysterious otherworldly sense. Tropea focuses on industrial and pastoral views, transforming everyday settings into intricate visual narratives using a Kodak Panorama #1 camera manufactured at the turn of the 20th century. The 20 photographs featured in the exhibition are selected from a gift to the museum’s permanent collection by the David C. and Sarajean Ruttenberg Arts Foundation.

Related programs

• “Sustenance & Land” opening reception: 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24. Art enthusiasts, museum members, and the public are invited to celebrate the opening of the exhibition with light bites, beverages, and lively conversation with the artists. Tickets $23. RSVP via elmhurstartmuseum.org.

• “Sustenance & Land” artist talk and exhibit walk-through: 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8. Exhibiting artists Lydia Cheshewalla, Barbara Ciurej, Claire Pentecost, and Chunbo Zhang will share insights into their work in an informal conversation and exhibition walk-through. Audiences can take a deep dive into the artists’ perspectives on their relationship with the earth with brief presentations followed by a Q&A. Included with museum admission

• The Seldoms: An Evening of Dance Inspired by the Earth: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14. The Seldoms, a contemporary Chicago-based dance troupe, perform excerpts from three celebrated works: Floe (2020), GRASS (2021), and Superbloom (2023). Inspired by themes of the museum’s current exhibition Sustenance & Land, such as climate, nature, and transformation, these innovative works are followed by a lively discussion with the dancers. The program includes light bites, beverages, and exhibition viewing. Tickets are $40 via elmhurstartmuseum.org.

• Soil Reading with Ecologist Nance Klehm: 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22. In this hands-on, sensory workshop with soil scientist and ecologist Nance Klehm of Social Ecologies, participants can touch, smell, examine, and learn to ‘read’ many different soils, sands, and clays gathered from many places in the Midwest. This collective reading will dig into themes from the museum’s current exhibition Sustenance & Land and offer expanded appreciation and insight into the soil beneath our feet. Included with museum admission; recommended for ages 10 or up.

• Create with Us: Landscape Collages: 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 1. Inspired by works on view in Sustenance & Land, this collage-making workshop will recycle images of food to create whimsical landscapes. From 1-1:30 p.m., exhibiting artists Barbara Ciurej and Lindsay Lochman will give a short introduction to their process and share works by other artists who have used art and food to express myriad views of the world, followed by drop-in, hands-on making from 1:30-4 p.m. Included with museum admission.

• Poetry Workshop: What Sustains Us: 6 p.m. Thursday, April 10. In celebration of National Poetry Month, the museum presents an evening of poetry reading and making that explores the themes of its current exhibition Sustenance & Land. Participants will first listen to poems exploring the intersection of who we are and the food that sustains us, then be guided by Elmhurst University professor Dr. Ann Frank Wake to write poems about foods that are meaningful to them. Tickets are $25 via elmhurstartmuseum.org.

• Create with Us: Mosaic Masterpieces: 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 26. As part of the current exhibition Sustenance & Land, visitors are invited to create a mosaic inspired by the practice of exhibiting artist Lydia Cheshewalla, who will discuss the importance of meditative attention in her work and the nature of creating ephemeral artworks. Cheshewalla will lead a hands-on workshop for participants to use seeds and other natural materials to explore our relationships to the land. Included with museum admission.

The museum is open Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 5 p.m., and Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Regular admission prices are $18 for ages 18 or older, $15 for seniors, $10 for students, and $5 for children. For information, call (630) 834-0202 or visit elmhurstartmuseum.org.