Artist Talk: Thursday, September 2

5:30 PM Mountain Time

In-person and recorded for later viewing.

Free and open to the public. Masks required.

Dionne Lee will give an artist talk on Thursday, September 2 at 5:30 p.m. in the Organ Recital Hall at the University Center for the Arts. (1400 Remington Ave, Fort Collins, 80523)

Dionne Lee holds an MFA from the California College of the Arts and considers the complications of, and dual legacies in, photographic landscapes in her work. She looks to historical narratives to identify American soil as a site of trauma and questions how history determines the autonomy and endurance of people across time. Lee’s work also features research and physical action—including the repeated appearance of hands—to locate the body in the scenic vista. Most of the art in A Muscle Memory pre-dates the pandemic, yet Lee confronts the now ubiquitous repercussions of global uncertainty, climate change, and natural disasters. She asks the crucial question: who is best positioned to survive in these chaotic, ever-changing spaces? 

In this exhibition, Lee collages and juxtaposes found images from survival manuals with silver gelatin prints of her own photographs. The analog process of this printing medium, which the artist also employs in repurposing her found images, mirrors the instinctual and tactile nature of endurance skills in the landscape. By researching traditional wilderness survival, Lee investigates how trauma and history inform everyday life, one’s ability to persevere, and the tenacity in working alongside the land.

Video Still, Credit Dionne Lee