Opening Reception and Artist Talk: Friday, June 16, 7 – 9 PM

The prints in this exhibition grew from a collaborative partnership with a plant geneticist at Marquette University, Dr. Michael Shläppi, who is developing a variety of early-flowering / cold-tolerant rice to be grown in Wisconsin. Oryza sativa, domesticated Asian rice, is a staple crop that alone supplies over 20% of the calories that humans consume worldwide. The decorative arrangements and stylized environments that typify the prints in Oryza acknowledge a natural history that includes human control and manipulation. Cynthia Brinich-Langlois blends the aesthetic language of botanical illustration and historical intersections of art, science, and agriculture.