Georganne Mennin: Castaways, December 7, 2019-January 11, 2020

KMR Arts is proud to present Castaways: December 7, 2019-January 11, 2020 on exhibit at the Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens at One Green Hill, Washington Depot, Ct. 06794.

Castaways is a result of Mennin’s quest to record the process of the milkweed bursting open, releasing its densely packed seeds with their wispy fibers that distribute the seeds into the wind. This dynamic process, which unfolds slowly in the natural world, appears explosive in Mennin’s photographs. Milkweed is the sole food source for a monarch caterpillar as it transforms into a monarch butterfly. As with so many aspects of the natural world, the milkweed presence has been diminished by habitat destruction and the spraying of weed killers toxic to the plant. This, in turn, directly affects the monarch population since the milkweed is the only food source for the monarch butterfly.
The artist “stalked” the pods as they developed from tight bright green pods, then turned a homely brown color. As Mennin says, “for a few hours the bounty of the milkweed pods was released.”

The glimpse of this magical process, yields images of lyrical elegance and beauty. Mennin aptly provides us with a pure example of metamorphosis and the cycle of life.

After receiving her degree in music from the University of Rochester, Georganne Mennin studied at Parsons School of Design and the Art Student’s League in New York. Her work has been exhibited in America, Europe, Africa, and South America.