Multiple Artists
Unintended Consequences
Feb 17 - Jul 9, 2023
Artists Carolyn Lavender, Monica Aissa Martinez, and Mary Shindell have worked closely together for more than a decade, forming their own artists’ collaborative (#CreatureManNature), and partnering on multiple exhibitions and a blog that has documented their creative processes. However, they have never created a true collaboration where each plays an equal role in the ideation, design, and execution of a single artwork—until now.
About
Artists Carolyn Lavender, Monica Aissa Martinez, and Mary Shindell have worked closely together for more than a decade, forming their own artists’ collaborative (#CreatureManNature), and partnering on multiple exhibitions and a blog that has documented their creative processes. However, they have never created a true collaboration where each plays an equal role in the ideation, design, and execution of a single artwork—until now.
Lavender is probably best-known for her work that depicts animal life and addresses themes of species and habitat endangerment. Shindell is inspired by botanical forms and has produced drawings, prints, and public art, typically depicting plant life. Martinez’s fascination with anatomy has led her to study human and animal forms and explore the complex processes of the physical body in her work.
In this temporary wall painting installation, the three artists combined their creativity, talents, and passions to create a visual narrative that examines unintended consequences of human activity on Arizona’s people, wildlife, and plants in the past and the present.
As you are viewing this installation, ask yourself why each creature, human, plant, or organism is featured. Extinction, drought, the introduction of animal species to non-native environments, and disease have all shaped our environment and led to the challenges we are facing today. The balance of desert habitats is delicate. What are some solutions you can think of that would help restore this balance and provide a healthy future for all Arizona life? What can all of us do to collectively make a difference?
This exhibition is coordinated by Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation.
Related Event
Unintended Consequences Opening Reception
Feb. 17, 2023, 6 pm–8 pm
Celebrate the artistic collaboration of artists Carolyn Lavender, Monica Aissa Martinez, and Mary Shindell, and see how their interests in zoology, anatomy, and botany combine to tell the story of life in Arizona as it has evolved over time.