About Stephanie
Stephanie Garon's environmental art investigates humanity's interruption of nature. Power. Natural objects juxtaposed against industrial materials reference history, science, and culture to convey themes of claim, labor, and time.
Stephanie is a Trawick Art Prize winner, Hamiltonian Fellow, a National Park Service AIR in the Everglades, and grant recipient from the Puffin Foundation Environmental Art, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Lucid Art Foundation, Maryland State Arts… more
Sculpture
My sculpture brings natural materials into the gallery space to investigate humanity's interruption of the environment. Natural materials are hand sourced at each specific site and all steel sculpture is fabricated by me to address themes of claim, labor and permanence.
I've worked with teams of scientists, indigenous tribes, geologists, lawyers, activists, and community members on issues surrounding a mine in Maine/Passamaquoddy land. I was invited by Smithereen Farm in Pembroke, Maine to create large scale artworks using 20,000 rock core samples to support their Maine Clean Water campaign. Five surrounding towns and two reservations depend upon clean water for their economy, health, & environment. The body of artwork was exhibited at The Kreeger Museum, Hamiltonian Gallery, MICA, and Alchemy of Art Gallery and will travel for the next two years to sites including Stand4 Gallery (Brooklyn), The Parsonage Gallery (Maine) and University of Southern Maine in 2024.
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Gold RushGold Rush: Steel I-beams, mined rock cores, LED ticker Gold Rush uses rock cores previously extracted from a mine to examine the ecological, cultural, and social implications of mining Indigenous land. An LED ticker displays weekly stock prices for gold, silver and copper to emphasize the commodification of natural resources.
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AssumptionAssumption: Steel, mined rock cores from Maine/Passamaquoddy land 1'x1'x1'
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SaySteel, mica schist 24”x24”x12” Claim and permanence of natural resources are underlying themes of my works of art on mining. With more than 300 active mines in the Baltimore-DC region, on indigenous land, I wonder if we will Say mine Say yours Say stop Say time Say cheese Say anything
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ShaftedShafted Hand carved wood 5'x16'x3' Trays that hold and store mined cores were historically hand carved from wood, an artistry unto itself. The Maine cores were stored in hundreds of these trays. In modern mining practice, the trays are made of plastic.
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CatchCatch: Steel, ground mined rock cores from Maine/Passamaquoddy land 4'x9'x3"
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BraeBrae: Steel, cypress tree. 10'x10'x8' (As shown at Brentwood Arts Exchange 2021)
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Queen
Steel, wild clay sourced from reclaimed oyster shells in collaboration with The Billion Oyster Project NYC.
12"x20"x12"
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ImpalpableImpalpable: steel, felled red oak, enamel 96"x72"x36" (As shown at Hemphill Gallery 2021)
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PreyPrey: Steel, oak 8'x6'x4' (As shown at Culture House 2021)
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VoidVoid II: Extracted mine cores from Maine/Passamaquoddy land 10'x10'x3' (As shown at The Kreeger Museum)
760 torr
14"x14"x3.87"