While we may take them for granted, all living and non-living organisms need clouds — they’re crucial for regulating and sustaining Earth’s climate. And at the William Benton Museum on Friday, Oct. 17, an exhibition titled “Clouds: A Collaboration with Fluid Dynamics” was held. The exhibition showcased dozens of pieces of exceptional art depicting clouds in various forms, from pigment print hand color to collages using Iris print, an inkjet printer designed for prepress proofing.
The exhibition, which opened on Aug. 26 and runs until Dec. 14, is being held in coordination with a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, which aims to promote public engagement with the environment. The museum also collaborated with the UConn College of Engineering and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering George Matheou, who moderated a panel presentation in conjunction with the exhibition on Sep. 25.
The exhibiton displayed work by various talented artists and photographers, including the renowned Brazilian social documentary photographer and photojournalist Sebastião Salgado, who traveled to more than 120 countries for various projects, was a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and was a recipient of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Grant in 1982. His work on display included stunning black-and-white photographs of the Amazon Rainforest underneath vast, cloudy skies and beaches off the coast of Rio.
Kate Corsden, another artist featured, had one of her pieces, “Indigo I,” juxtaposed against “White Branches, Mono Lake, Cloud Reflections, CA” by Ansel Adams, a legendary landscape photographer. Visitors were greeted by this attention-grabbing piece in addition to Corsden’s “Indigo IV” which captures a raw, rainy-like cloud scene.
In addition to Corsden, Helen Glazer, another contemporary photographer, has her remarkable talent showcased in such colorful pieces as “Twisting Veils” and “Magic Carpet Ride.” Her use of hand-colored parts with pastel pencils spotlights her ability for both spatial awareness and her unique sense of creativity. Some of Glazer’s prints were in solo exhibitions at the Nailya Alexander Gallery in New York and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Ashburn, Va., and in group exhibitions at the Hillyer Art Space in Washington, D.C., and the Delaware Museum of Art.
Not only are visitors to the exhibition finding the artist’s works artistically appealing, but some are also finding inspiration in them as well. A third-year art student, who asked to remain anonymous, said of Glazer’s work, “As someone who is studying printmaking here at the Fine Arts school, Glazer’s work has helped me to establish what my future work will look like and what my portfolio will contain.”
But while it’s easy to look at these clouds and simply see art, the goal is also to examine how clouds are scientifically important — not only do they sustain life and the biodiversity inside it, but they also carry out important functions such as regulating temperature and influencing weather patterns. The various types of cloud formations, from cumulus to stratocumulus, and what they represent, are among the things that the exhibition is trying to pass on to its viewers.
Featured photo from @bentonmuseumuconn on instagram