Art, activism and environmental storytelling come together at CCSU this spring with “Tangled Roots: Echoes of Herstory in Environmental Justice,” a new exhibition at the Chen Art Gallery curated by assistant professor of art education Sonja Czekalski. The exhibit will be open through April 10. 

The exhibit features the work of 16 interdisciplinary artists whose pieces explore personal narratives, environmental justice and the relationship between gender, nature and the climate crisis. 

On Thursday, March 5, the gallery held a meet-and-greet with four of the artists, Connie Teed, Elvira Clayton, Annabel Manning and Sonja Czekalski, where they had the opportunity to share the meaning behind their art as well as their hopes for the exhibit. 

“There are a couple of other themes in the show … it was really important to me that this exhibition showed the duality between hope and grief, between the earth and the spirit,” said Czekalski. 

Artist Manning discussed her new artworks, which explored the capabilities of digital art in the gallery. 

“They sort of developed out of COVID, spending a lot of time on the beach developing a relationship with the beach,” said Manning. “So, these are inspired by my walks on the beach with all of this happening.” 

Artists were encouraged to explore different mediums of art in order to express themselves fully. Artist Teed took a new approach in the gallery by using video as a way to show art and express gender from a nuanced perspective. 

“Thinking about ways that we relate to the natural world, but specifically through a lens of queer theory … interrupting ideas of hierarchies and thinking about the way the pure body can be in the space of nature in new ways,” said Teed. 

Artist Clayton used unique types of materials to capture a story that had been in the works for dozens of hours, utilizing numerous resources. This particular project not only had a deep meaning, but it also had a long history and was finally revealed at the gallery. 

“Part of an ongoing project that I started in 2021, this work is called the 436 Project, and it is informed by an 1859 slave auction catalog,” said Clayton. “As I am creating this work, I am thinking about the relationship that these people had with the land and the natural world.” 

The gallery also featured works addressing the health struggles women face today. 

“Tangled Roots: Echoes of Herstory in Environmental Justice” will remain on display in the Chen Art Gallery through April 10, inviting students and visitors to explore the intersection of art, nature and environmental justice.