Artist combines science, art in exhibition on Statesboro Campus

February 5, 2019

“The Vally of Dry Bones,” seen above, is a project Lorenz worked on in 2014.

Artist and urban explorer Marie Lorenz has spent her life working on a project that has merged the tools of science and art, while underlining the relational nature between the environmental elements of the river (currents, ecology, flotsam and pollution) as well as the people who live, work and play in that environment.

Lorenz’ multimedia installation, “Ash Heap/Landfill,” will be exhibited at the Center for Art & Theatre University Gallery at Georgia Southern University’s Statesboro Campus from Feb. 18 to March 14.

“Several years ago I recognized a bridge between science and art in the work of a long time friend and colleague, Marie Lorenz,” Associate Professor Elsie Hill said. “Lorenz’s artwork does not fit in one discipline. Her art processes come from disciplines as diverse as social science, traditional craft boat building, biology and geography.”

“Ash Heap/Landfill” evokes beaches, creek beds and landfills with a constructed landslide of unfired clay riddled with fired ceramic objects, in order to explore shifting perceptions of scale between the fluid and the particular as objects become removed from their functions.

“Lorenz’s work poses just the kinds of questions crucial to our era,” said Jason Hoelscher, Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art gallery director. “As disciplines blend and combine, it’s important to see where we are and where we’re going, and Lorenz’s combination of approaches offers a look at paths and possibilities.”

Lorenz will give a talk Tuesday, March 12 at 5 p.m. in Arts Building room 2071 as part of the Center for Sustainability’s “Sustainability Seminar Series.” A reception will follow at 6 p.m. at the gallery.

Lorenz’s visit also coincides with Georgia Southern’s participation in RecycleMania, a competition between university recycling programs from the U.S. and Canada.

This exhibition was made possible in part with funding from the Campus Life Enrichment Committee and Student Sustainability Fees.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers 141 degree programs serving nearly 26,500 students through nine colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia, the University provides a diverse student population with expert faculty, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Georgia Southern creates lifelong learners who serve as responsible scholars, leaders and stewards in their communities. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu.