Opening September 28th - December 4th.
Artist Statement
My presented work draws on environmental and societal issues that are historically unseen and underreported. This show explores how we, as humans, consume. These pieces unveil the hidden costs of extracting, processing and distributing resources. I focus on how consumption and extraction affect complex, native species that have evolved to live in balance with the world and are sensitive to our violent changes.
My work seeks to spark a dialogue about humanities stewardship and responsibility to our fellow animals and our combined future. Birds are a crucial indicator of the health of ecosystems due to their sensitivity to change and presence in nearly every biome of the world. I juxtapose species’ evolutionary adaptations and the rapidly changing earth we have impacted. Through an emphasis on native species, I want the viewer to think about the intimacy of place and our interconnectedness to creatures that have evolved over millennia to environmental niches where humans have only recently moved in.
I use global phenomena and social issues to convey our profound relationship with an earth that sustains us while we unsustainably extract from it. Ultimately my work navigates the world of science, morality, environmental impact and the cycles of life and death.
Artist Bio
Sarah Conti is a ceramic sculptor from western Washington, she received her BFA with a sculptural emphasis from University of Idaho. After undergrad she lived in Illinois for three years and was a resident artist at Terra Incognito ceramic studio. She then attended Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland, Oregon to receive her post baccalaureate in ceramics. She lately completed a second ceramics post baccalaureate at the University of Montana. Sarah is passionate about ecology, conservation, preservation and sparking conversations about climate change and human impacts on wildlife species. She is co-founding a studio named Wildfire Ceramic Studio in Missoula where she is currently living, working, and birdwatching.