{"id":147698,"date":"2025-03-18T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=147698"},"modified":"2025-03-17T14:06:06","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T19:06:06","slug":"art-professor-challenges-viewers-to-slow-down-and-learn-from-weeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/art-professor-challenges-viewers-to-slow-down-and-learn-from-weeds\/","title":{"rendered":"Art Professor Challenges Viewers to Slow Down and Learn from Weeds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kariann Fuqua’s ‘Emergent Strategies: In Defense of Weeds’ showcased in New York<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Weeds are generally seen as a nuisance, but they can teach lessons on living. University of Mississippi<\/strong> art professor\u00a0Kariann Fuqua<\/strong>\u00a0communicated that in a recent New York City art exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through previous group exhibitions and a network of artists, she secured a solo exhibition at\u00a0Stand4 Gallery and Community Arts Center<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in Brooklyn<\/strong>. The “Emergent Strategies: In Defense of Weeds” exhibition was supported by the\u00a0Department of Art and Art History<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Isom Fellows Program<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and ran Jan. 18 through March 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Given the state of accelerating climate change, perhaps we can learn metaphorically about weeds’ ability to adapt, exist in harsh conditions and grow despite many obstacles,” Fuqua said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeds provide benefits such as diversifying ecosystems, having medicinal uses and providing a food source for other species, she said. Yet, many people spend a lot of money on harsh or toxic chemicals to get rid of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As one of the few people in her neighborhood who does not spray chemicals in her yard, Fuqua noticed a difference. For more than a year she observed, documented and researched parts of nature that included the weeds that grew in her yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She saw life return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Birds come because they have insects to eat,” she said. “Butterflies have returned because they find a habitat to lay eggs on and a source of nectar. Eight different species of bees have returned to pollinate the food I grow.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuqua was inspired to create drawings of common unwanted plants such as dandelions and crabgrass in shades of bright oranges, pinks and yellows. She also composed photographs and collected objects such as dandelion seeds as part of her exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her work and presentation filled viewers with a sense of awareness and wonder, said\u00a0John Ros<\/strong><\/a>, director of\u00a0studioELL<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in London and teacher at the\u00a0School of the Museum of Fine Arts<\/strong> at Tufts University<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in Boston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It created “a recognition of the overlooked beauty and significance embedded in what we dismiss as weeds,” Ros said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an artist, Fuqua’s works have explored the connection between chaos and control in the natural world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Her artwork speaks not only to the region, but as evidenced by her latest exhibition, to the larger questions of our society and its relationship to the natural world that surrounds us,” said\u00a0Michael Barnett<\/strong><\/a>, interim chair of the\u00a0Ole Miss<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0art department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This work brings considerable value to the department, the university and our wider culture, and the department is proud to support our excellent faculty in sharing their research and creativity with the global community of art enthusiasts and scholars.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuqua said she hopes her art persuades viewers to change how they interact with the natural world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Humans are not here to control the environment, but instead to learn that we are only one small piece in a wondrous ecosystem,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite often being unwanted or considered a ruiner of pristine gardens, weeds can be seen as continuing to adapt, persevere and grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuqua, also director of the UM museum studies program<\/a>, hopes people take time and notice how they are linked to the natural world<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“By slowing down and closely observing what grows around us, we might see how our actions affect the many species, both flora and fauna, that coexist in the landscape,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A small act like letting weeds grow can have a huge impact, bringing life back to a barren environment.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Marisa C. Atkinson<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
‘Dandelion,’ a piece produced with acrylic and graphite on paper, is part of ‘Emergent Strategies: In Defense of Weeds’ by University of Mississippi art professor Kariann Fuqua. The exhibition recently wrapped up a six-week run at Stand4 Gallery and Community Arts Center in Brooklyn, New York. Submitted photos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
‘Crabgrass,’ a piece produced with acrylic and graphite on paper, is part of ‘Emergent Strategies: In Defense of Weeds’ by University of Mississippi art professor Kariann Fuqua. The exhibition recently wrapped up a six-week run at Stand4 Gallery and Community Arts Center in Brooklyn, New York. Submitted photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Kariann Fuqua. Submitted photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
University of Mississippi art professor Kariann Fuqua has been interested in the possibilities presented by weeds for some time. Her archival digital print ‘Resistance,’ is another example of her work with wildflowers and native plants. Submitted photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
‘Dandelion’ (left), a piece produced with acrylic and graphite on paper, is part of ‘Emergent Strategies: In Defense of Weeds’ by University of Mississippi art professor Kariann Fuqua. The exhibition recently wrapped up a six-week run at Stand4 Gallery and Community Arts Center in Brooklyn, New York. Submitted photos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kariann Fuqua’s ‘Emergent Strategies: In Defense of Weeds’ showcased in New York Weeds are generally seen as a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123462,"featured_media":147700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17687],"tags":[2492,15894,31404,31405,1031,5,4,31407,31403,31406,31408],"class_list":["post-147698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-university-of-mississippi","tag-brooklyn","tag-department-of-art-and-art-history","tag-isom-fellows-program","tag-john-ros","tag-michael-barnett","tag-mississippi","tag-oxford","tag-school-of-the-museum-of-fine-arts","tag-stand4-gallery-and-community-arts-center","tag-studioell","tag-tufts-university"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Fuqua-and-Dandelions.jpg?fit=1232%2C690&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123462"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147698"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":147705,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147698\/revisions\/147705"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}