SUMMARY

Jenni Ward is a ceramic sculptor and installation artist based in Santa Cruz, California. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally in museums, galleries, forests, deserts, and even on a shipwreck under the Atlantic Ocean. “Spore Patterns” is inspired by the biological structures of mushroom gills and the patterns the spores leave behind. Over 300 handmade ceramic forms here are based on a type of shelf fungus that anchors itself to the side of decaying trees (there are some up the tree on the right). Mushrooms speak of the cycle of life and death since mycelium breaks down dead waste. This network makes them a symbol of growth through connection and how we are all connected to each other and to the systems and structures of nature.  Spore Patterns is nestled between a rotting down tree, ferns, and shaded understory, just like a mushroom.

ABOUT THE SCULPTURE

“Lichen Series: Spore Patterns” is inspired by the biological structures of mushroom gills and the patterns the spores leave behind. The over 300 handmade ceramic forms are based on a type of shelf fungus that has a leathery surface and wedge shaped form that anchors itself to the side of decaying trees.  There are examples of these within the Sculpture Forest.

Conceptually, mushrooms speak of the cycle of life and death since mycelium begins breaking down the dead waste in nature. The fruits of the mycelium (the mushrooms) are the new growth that comes from it. The spores that are dropped from the mushroom gills spread the growth, and the cycle continues. Mycelium are some of the largest living organisms on earth, stretching underground over miles of terrain creating networks of communication throughout the landscape. This network makes them a symbol of growth through connection and how we are all connected to each other and to the systems and structures of nature.

Jenni has worked with these themes in the past, though always on a smaller scale.  She appreciates the opportunity to expand her ideas into a large scale 12 foot wide site installation. It seemed appropriate to place this sculpture in this dense, wet forest landscape where real fungi also thrive. Jenni hopes that art gives you a sense of calmness, contemplation, and connectedness to the environment. 

ABOUT THE SCULPTOR

Jenni is a ceramic sculptor and installation artist, originally from West Orange, New Jersey and currently based in Santa Cruz, California. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Hartford Art School in West Hartford, Connecticut in 1998. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally since then including the de Saisset Museum, the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, and the Grants Pass Museum of Art. Jenni has been invited to residencies around the world, and most recently spent 3 months at the Yingge Ceramics Museum in Taiwan. She has created public art projects in Sweden, Florida, and California. She has exhibited her work in museums, galleries, forests, deserts and even on a shipwreck under the Atlantic Ocean. Jenni is inspired by her exploration of the natural world. Her time spent connecting to her environment and exploring way above and way below sea level is an integral part of her process. She is particularly interested in the patterns and structures of biological forms. She seeks to find connections in those patterns and a sense of place within the systems of nature. Creating installations in nature is the heart of her art practice from which everything else evolves.  Her work ties science, environmentalism and art together in the hopes of inspiring others to preserve, protect and enjoy our wild spaces.