theLASTree is a lyrical family-friendly puppet show featuring seven vignettes with two main characters One is Mother Nature, the storyteller, who asks for help as she explains why she is afraid of the human-caused climate crisis: the consequences of deforestation, pollution and plastic waste, and the suffering of her ecosystems. In the end, she encourages the audience to engage in three fundamental sustainable practices: reduce, reuse, and recycle to protect the air, water, land, and all living creatures. The other character, the Last Tree, is an ancient tree, fed up with humans but who refuses to die.

Deirdre Murphy is a contemporary visual artist who decodes the interconnectivity that exists in art and science via the lens of biomorphic patterns, data visualization and climate change. Through the mediums of painting, printmaking and collaborative sculpture, she has explored the effects of climate change on avian migration, nesting structures and ecosystems. Her research has led to collaborations with scientists ranging from ornithologist, biologist, neuroscientist and virologist from the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Penn State, Lehigh University and Integral Molecular Laboratory. Artist residencies include  Penn State University’s Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, Winterthur Museum, Hawk Mountain Bird Sanctuary, Powdermill Nature Reserve and Drexel University’s Academy of Natural Science. Murphy has been the recipient of the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts, Percent for the Arts, Humanities Lab, Lehigh University and Leeway Grant. She has exhibited extensively in museums and galleries most notably Winterthur Museum, Zillman Art Museum, Palm Springs Museum, Biggs Museum of American Art, New Bedford Museum and Tacoma Art Museum and the Philadelphia International Airport. Current 2023 exhibitions includes a solo show titled “Nest Alchemy” at 3 Dots Community Gallery in State College, PA and “RIsky Beauty: Aesthetics & Climate Change” a invitational group exhibition at the Nurture Nature Center in Easton, PA.

Deirdre Murphy earned her MFA degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her BFA degree from the Kansas City Art Institute.  Murphy is a Teaching Assistant Professor at Lehigh University where she teaches painting, printmaking and art based climate change courses. Her work can be found at www.deirdremurphyart.com

Welcome! ClearWater Conservancy’s Art & Chocolate gallery exhibit showcases the work of local artists across a variety of styles and mediums. While each piece of art is one-of-a-kind, they all share one remarkable similarity – the artists who created them chose to donate and auction their work to support ClearWater’s efforts to protect and connect vital landscapes, wildlife habitat, and waterways throughout our region. 

Art and nature are closely connected and often found within each other. Both also have a tendency to connect our community in the most positive of ways. Can you reflect on the last time you explored a local outdoor destination, listened to local music, or created your own piece of art? How would you describe the feeling or feelings that followed? If you found yourself feeling inspired or in awe, that’s not a coincidence. Art and nature are two of just a few things that can elicit a sense of awe, a feeling that’s proven to increase our generosity, raise our willingness to help someone, and boost a positive mood. 

ClearWater Conservancy expresses its sincere gratitude to the artists and community partners, including 3 Dots Downtown, who make Art & Chocolate a successful fundraiser and celebration in support of local conservation work. A supportive community, inspiring local artists, and awe-inspiring nature — just three of the countless reasons that makes Central PA such a wonderful place to live, work, and play. We also thank you for being here today. Enjoy the show! 

P.S. Wondering about the chocolate portion of Art & Chocolate? Join us here on February 17 from 4-8 p.m. for cocktails, sweet treats, and gallery show for everyone. You can reserve your own box of treats by purchasing a Super Sweet ticket online.

Emily Steinberg, Michael Green, Bill Doan // Fall 2022

Masking is a complex act with as many histories as there are cultures. Mask traditions cover the gamut of human belief systems and practices from the mystical to the practical and from the political to the personal. COVID-19 has created yet another complex series of masking practices that vary across the globe.

Each artist has their own distinct response to “masking,” while sharing a common approach: combining images and text in the tradition of Graphic Medicine and Visual Narratives to make what are broadly called “comics.” Masked reflects the outcomes of their collaboration and the process (which involved many Zoom meetings and conversations) to help them build solidarity despite working alone. Visit the exhibition’s digital companion: https://tinyurl.com/MaskedExhibition