Welcoming our 2022 Artists-in-Residence
We are thrilled to welcome our 2022 Artist-in-Residence cohort! From spring 2022 until late winter 2023, this group of seven artists will be working on creative projects inspired by Mount Auburn. Updates on their projects and special programs will be announced on our website and social media, so keep an eye out for news in the coming year!
Madge Evers and Thierry Borcy
Visual artist Madge Evers and photographer Thierry Borcy are collaborating on Mount Auburn Statuary: A New Way of Seeing. Borcy will capture images of Mount Auburn’s monuments using monochrome photography, Evers will transform the printed images with patterns of foraged mushroom spores, and the altered images will be re-photographed, interpreting the original monuments in a transformed context. “The created imagery will depict the landscape, link human created statuary with natural materials, and present the regenerative qualities present in biodiversity, specifically fungi and plants.”
Ira Klein
Musician Ira Klein will compose, produce, and perform The Oak Cycle, a series of guitar pieces inspired by specific oak trees at Mount Auburn. Klein is a recent graduate of Berklee College of Music, and his concentration in American roots music will inform his compositions. “I frequently visit the Cemetery, as I am fascinated by its natural landscape and bird population. As a musician, I find myself deeply inspired and recharged by the Cemetery’s tranquil environment.”
Simone Nemes
Multi-disciplinary artist (and former Gardening Technician at Mount Auburn) Simone Nemes is returning to create Memorializing Nature, a series of seasonally-themed illustrations of fantastical urns. These images will draw upon Nemes’ deep understanding of plants and the natural world from her previous horticultural career. “Painting in a realistic style, I will re-interpret traditional urn designs [found at Mount Auburn] to incorporate the flora and fauna of the cemetery, with each season featuring native species that are active during those months.”
Jill Slosburg-Ackerman
Sculptor and wood carver Jill Slosburg-Ackerman will create Mourning Benches – several portable, low-to-the ground benches carved with designs inspired by Mount Auburn’s flora. Her project was inspired by her own experience of visiting her husband’s grave at the Cemetery. “I have longed for the means to sit closer, in order to comfortably commune with his spirit and to immerse myself in the landscape. Creating the Mourning Benches is my gesture of amelioration.”
Liz Walker
Ballet dancer and choreographer Liz Walker will produce Dance of Arrival, a contemporary dance performance on Mount Auburn’s grounds. The theme of her dance will connect directly with her current pregnancy, and was inspired by her experience visiting Mount Auburn with her partner upon learning of her pregnancy this fall. During their walks, they were deeply impacted by the graves of children, and found themselves seeking inspiration for baby names amongst the monuments. “This site-specific dance work will explore themes of life and death as they relate to Mount Auburn Cemetery as a destination for pivotal moments in one’s life. A crucial touchpoint for the project is my experience as a dancer who is pregnant and preparing to welcome a new life.”
John M. Williams
Visual artist John M. Williams is creating a pair of collages depicting the Cemetery’s landscape in multiple seasons, layering pieces of cut paper to create a sculptural effect: Seeing Mount Auburn with a Different Eye. His work is influenced by his experience as an artist who is autistic. “The title of my project relates to the special skills and way of seeing the world that comes with autism. My work is a completely new way of seeing and depicting the landscape.”
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