Natureish/Nurturish
A Solo Exhibition of Work by Monica Stewart
November 19th, 2022 – January 22nd, 2022
Reception: Friday, November 18, 2022, 5:30-8pm
Natureish/Nurtureish, featuring new work by Louisville-based artist Monica Stewart, imagines an alternative reality characterized by the cooperation between humans and their environment. Through her visual style inspired by children’s book illustrations, fairy tales, and folk art, Stewart examines the biological phenomena of symbiosis, or the interaction between two organisms. Within Stewart’s world of whimsy, moths drink the tears of sleeping birds and human bodies hold the capacity to host plant life. Throughout Natureish/Nurtureish, Stewart asks us to contemplate our relationship to each other and to the world around us as we enter a new era marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing climate crisis. The work in this exhibition follows a three-month residency that Stewart held at KMAC Museum, funded in part by a grant from SouthArts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Kentucky Arts Council.
Stewart's residency is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Kentucky Arts Council.
Monica Stewart
Monica Stewart is a Louisville-based artist specializing in cut paper and fiber art. She holds a BFA in painting from Murray State University and an MFA from the University of Louisville, where she currently teaches studio art. Her work demonstrates exemplary technical skill and precision in assembling imaginary scenes of feminine endurance and creativity. Through the use of cut paper and fiber, Stewart’s work takes on an additional dimension of societal critique in which mediums considered “women’s work” are recognized as fine art.
Stewart’s work has been exhibited at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts (Gatlinburg, TN), the Cressman Center for Visual Art (Louisville, KY), Revelry Gallery (Louisville, KY) and Tim Faulkner Gallery (Louisville, KY). She is a Hadley Creatives alum (2019) and was awarded the Emerging Artist Award by Louisville Visual Art in 2019.
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