Presented By Marty Trammell
A sun-shielding smoke from fires, a weakened body from a worsening asthma diagnoses, a continuous threat of a deadly respiratory disease, a panic of a besieged existence; all stacked together trying to prevent us all from breathing. It was in the plants with whom I share I home that I found the reminder and oxygen needed to breathe. In this piece I give others a mantra. Breathe…just breathe…
Madison Brooke-Willbanks
My name is Madison Brooke-Willbanks and I use she/her pronouns; I am an artist and scientist currently enrolled in PNCA’s Photography and Art & Ecology programs. I was born in Western Massachusetts and moved to Portland, OR. just before starting high school. Both places hold a very special place in my heart and history, with my experiences and closeness to forest ecologies on both coasts impacting my life and work tremendously.
Primarily, my work focuses on visually exploring ecological relationships between human and other-than-human beings, especially in conjunction with the current context of the global Climate Crisis. Data is the lifeblood of my artwork, and my work as a scientist, ecologist, and student informs every aspect of my artistic expressions; I seek to help translate the often indigestible and strictly academic conclusions of scientific research into the more emotionally accessible realm of art and action.
Outside of my fine-art work, I also take great joy in my developing career in wildlife and conservation photography. Having created bodies of work alongside wildlife conservation organizations such as the Oregon Zoo and Oregon’s Wildlife Safari, I believe strongly in the power of intimate wildlife images and educations’ ability to conjointly convey information and passions surrounding conservation efforts that, if remained separated, would otherwise fall flat. My conservation photography work paired with writing and theses follows similar modes of thinking established in my data-inspired fine-art work.