MALIBU, CA.- Pepperdine University’s Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art is presenting Environmental Reflections: Contemporary Art from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation now through Sunday, December 5, 2021. There is no admission charge but free, advanced reservations are required. Timed entry tickets can be reserved here.

Throughout history, artists have attempted to capture the beauty in the forces of nature, each interpretation unique and distinctly different from the other. In Environmental Reflections: Contemporary Art from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, a diverse range of practices come together to bring fleeting glimpses of nature through the human experience. Nature is constantly shifting and changing, sometimes in minuscule ways that are often overlooked, such as how the sky shifts with sunrise and sunset, or the way flowers and plants sway in the wind and rotate in the direction of the sunlight. Then there are the grand changes due to natural and man-made disasters of hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, droughts or the depletion of natural resources. This exhibition brings a broad spectrum of approaches that reflect a reverence for nature and its complexities.

The artists in this exhibition explore the delicate beauty as well as the enormous power of the natural world. Dawn DeDeaux illuminates the unusual beauty of mold growling along with tree bark and the symmetry that occurs in nature. In contrast, Kelly Berg addresses nature’s intensity and powerful forces in her depiction of erupting volcanoes illuminating the sky. Srdjan Loncar creates a massive sculptural wave consisting of photographic images of waves demonstrating the power and depth of the ocean that continually touches land, wave after wave. The mysteries of the universe have captured the interest of artists throughout time: Chema Como imagines floating orbs in space, while Dawn DeDeaux depicts astronauts floating in the vacuum of space without control, high above the earth.




There is a quiet reverence in the solitude of nature in the work by Stephanus Heidacker, capturing a moment in which man is alone with nature. In Heidacker’s work, a large imposing “young man” dominates the frame in a mountain landscape, reflecting the dueling concepts of the relationship between man and nature. Yet, in Veronica Brovall’s sculpture, the intricate and delicate connection between humans and nature is visually sculpted when a skeletal figure in a fetal position acts as the roots of a barren tree, making them so intimately connected that there is no distinct separation between the two.

Nature and space are incredibly vast, and our relationship to them is unique and complex. Environmental Reflections: Contemporary Art from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation exemplifies how we continually explore the natural world, from the depths of the oceans to the farthest reaches of space, calling to mind how early humans would trek through the landscape yearning for knowledge of the unknown. Nature has the ability to reflect our humanity—there is beauty, destruction, depth and vast expanses yet to be discovered.

"After a long time apart, we are excited to once again host an in-person exhibition at the Weisman Museum," Rebecca Carson, Managing Director of the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts, said. "We are grateful to Billie Weisman and the Weisman Foundation for their many years of partnership and for their support of the many artists whose work is showcased in this stunning exhibition."

Current museum hours are Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; museum hours are subject to change. For more information regarding current museum hours, please call (310) 506-4851.

A special opening reception will be held Sunday, October 3, 2021 from 2–4 p.m. There is no admission charge and the public is invited to attend.