What we have left: solastalgia in Iowa City

What We Have Left: Solastalgia in Iowa City, is a cohesive body of work that falls into three categories. First, there is a collection of low-relief paper drawings made with natural and pigmented fibers. Sometimes, drawings are displayed flat. Other times, they are shaped by water and dried as sculptural forms. I enjoy juxtaposing flat, restrained drawings with cascading draped forms. The second category of work includes two series of maps. I make colorful, minimalistic, abstract sectional maps with pressure printed imagery based on the remnant oak savannah in Iowa City. I also create densely layered place maps letterpress printed on industrial and handmade papers. Designed to be interactive, readers experience the physical weight of my maps as they fold and unfold the forms. The third category of work is my variable edition abecedarium titled Kinder Inquiries. The fourth and final category is my word wall / world wall a site-responsive installation on literacy and systems of education. All of my work radiates out from my lived experiences, revealing memories that have accrued over five decades of life in Iowa City, my home. This geography is marked by the curved path of the Iowa River flowing downstream from Coralville to the Burlington Street dam. Within this physical boundary lies a flood plain marked by limestone bluffs, a river s edge, a prairie restoration project, an outdoor swimming pool, an elementary school, sports facilities, my childhood home, a state university, remnants of an oak savannah, and an increasing number of 3-car garages.