Jennifer Angus will present “Arranging Nature” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, at the Waupaca Area Public Library.
Hosted by Winchester Academy, the program is free and open to the public.
Angus is a professor in the Design Studies department at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Her unusual medium is insects. She composes patterns using thousands of insects, placing them in arrangements that suggest wallpaper and textiles.
The insects she uses in her work are real, although they are dead and dried. Most of the insects come from Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand and Malaysia. In many cases, their habitats are under assault, and she uses farmed insects whenever she can.
Angus acknowledges that many people who see her exhibitions were never aware that such unusual insects exist. Her hope is that they will be “motivated to get involved with one of the many rain forest preservation projects out there.”
Angus has exhibited her work internationally, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, and Spain. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including Canada Council, Ontario Arts Council, and Wisconsin Arts Board grants.
Her exhibition, “In the Midnight Garden,” was part of “Wonder,” the inaugural exhibition to reopen the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C.
She was one of only nine artists selected by the curator for this landmark exhibition.
Angus will discuss the evolution of her work, ethics of working with insects, and the importance of insects to the environment and to our wellbeing.
Angus received her bachelor’s degree at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and master’s degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Cookies and coffee are served at 6:00 p.m. and the program begins promptly at 6:30 p.m.
Winchester Academy programs are funded through sponsors and tax-deductible donations.
For more information about Winchester Academy, follow the group on Facebook, or contact Executive Director Ann Buerger Linden at 715-258-2927 or [email protected].