The Collections: Nature

Sunset; Iowa City, IA

Along with the plants and animals, we are surrounded by the natural phenomena of our weather, the moon, and the forces of nature.  The power of a thunderstorm or a roaring ocean reminds us that despite all of the advances of civilization, we are at still the mercy of the planet.  

Harris Lake; Chatham County, NC

The moon's phases and eclipses, once sources of fear and anxiety for our ancestors, now are dependably predictable, but no less powerful in their ability to provoke wonderment and awe at their beauty.  The sun still sets the sky on fire twice a day, casting the clouds and our buildings into a mix of shadow and light in hues that even the most gifted painter can only hope to approximate.  Rivers and streams carve through the landscape, at once looking the same but forever changing right before our eyes.



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The Collections: Food

Grilled Cheese; John's Deli, New York, NY

Few things evoke such powerful memories as food: family dinners, the smells of a bakery, the vibrant colors of fresh produce.  In an instant, we are transported back to our childhood or back to that street market where we sampled the freshest honey we've ever had.  Food is rarely a solitary pursuit; it is something meant to be enjoyed with company, to bring people together around a table.  Even when we dine alone, we are still connected to the source of our sustenance through the buyers, sellers, and growers that brought those ingredients to our plate.


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The Collections: Flora

Brown-eyed Susans; VanderVeer Botanical Garden, Davenport, IA

When we think of flowers, we usually think of the gardens that line our streets or the bouquets that we bring into our homes to brighten the space or to mark a special occasion.  On the larger scale, a field of wildflowers or a rolling expanse of grass creates a landscape that more often serves as the backdrop for a given moment than as the moment itself.  Up close, the fractal geometry of a bed of brown-eyed susans or the folds of a daffodil force us to slow down and appreciate the complexities of the greenery around us.  Even the leaves of an oak tree after the rain possess an almost magical quality in the simplicity of its structure.  


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The Collections: Fauna

Dragonfly; NC Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, NC

The delicate simplicity of a spider's web, the vibrant colors of a songbird, the fragility of the wings of a dragonfly - the birds and insects that we see every day have their own beauty that is usually overlooked.  Something as ordinary as a turtle or as familiar to us as our own housecat can still be visually interesting if only we take the time to look.

Little Blue Heron; South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, SC

Even those animals less common in our daily lives can still seem mundane at first glance, but then we look closer at the wing of the flamingo or the gap in a heron's beak or the way the mud cakes in the folds of an elephant's skin and begin to see aspects of the familiar in the unfamiliar.

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The Collections: Architecture

The buildings and structures around us provide shelter and warmth, protecting us from the elements.  Some are so stunning that we cannot help but stop to marvel at their design, while others seem so common that we cannot help but pass through them without giving their walls and corners more than a cursory glance. 

New York Public Library; New York, NY

There are those spaces that are the blend of the utilitarian and the beautiful, where the balance between their purpose and their beauty exists in a state of tension.  Even something so familiar to us can become a new place when we approach it from a new perspective.

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