ECOTONES

Ecotones brings together ceramic sculpture, painting, and textile works that explore the fertile and diverse space where different natural worlds meet.

In ecology, an ecotone is a transitional zone between two different ecosystems, for example, where freshwater meets seawater, or forest gives way to meadow. The word ecotone is formed by combining ecology and tone, from the Greek tonos, meaning "tension": thus, an ecotone is a place where ecologies are in tension.

Drawing inspiration from these places of transition, Ecotones presents works that explore both temporal and spatial thresholds in the natural world.

Ceramic oysters evoke the tidal landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. Moths, rendered in acrylic and gold leaf, represent the transition between daylight and darkness. Botanical textiles trace the continual cycles of growth, decay, and renewal that shape the living world.

Though each artist works in a distinct medium and approaches nature from a different perspective, Ecotones is united by an interest in relationship rather than separation. The works invite close observation of the spaces where boundaries become porous and where seemingly different forms of life exist in continual dialogue.

Our lives unfold within interconnected systems that are ecological, cultural, and deeply local. In bringing together marine, terrestrial, and temporal worlds, this exhibition offers an opportunity to reflect on the beauty, complexity, and resilience found at the edges of the ecosystem.