Avant Guardians

By Leticia Gonzales

Stemming from a childhood fascination of photography, Areca Roe, now an art professor and artist, began exploring manual cameras when she was 14 years old.

“I always loved the magic of capturing a moment in time,” Roe said. “In college, I began to take photography more seriously as an art form through my art courses, then continued to pursue my own projects after college.”

Roe, who received a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota, also majored in biology as an undergraduate.

“I worked in the field of biology for a time, then decided to pursue art more seriously and went for my MFA. Biology, and specifically ecology, remains an interest of mine.”

Roe teaches photography and video at Minnesota State University. As an artist, she mostly focuses on photography but also incorporates video, installation and sculpture.

“My art practice engages with our relationships to the natural world. These interactions are multifaceted — we need, we revere, we protect, and we also exploit and destroy the natural world,” she said. “But above all, we have separated ourselves from it. In my work, I often explore how these dislocations and reconnections manifest themselves in our lives and our society.”

Nods to the natural world such as floral fabrics, fake plants and zoos have shaped Roe’s work as well.

“This focus has shifted in my most recent project, but the floral or plant life fabrics have found their way into much of my recent work.”

Her most recent series, “Terrestrial,” was shown at the 410 Project Gallery in Mankato. The exhibit featured her latest technique involving lenticular 3D prints. She also has displayed her work at the Waseca Art Center, the MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids and the Rosalux Gallery in Minneapolis.

“Each project is different and I learn new techniques every time. I love learning and pushing the boundaries — I don’t want to get overly comfortable with my tried-and-true techniques,” Roe said. “More recently, I’ve become interested in video, 360-degree video and augmented reality. I have a lot to learn in this realm, but that’s part of what excites me.”

Last spring, Roe began what she calls her “pandemic project,” which is officially titled “Stock Pile.”

“When the pandemic hit and stayat-home orders went into effect, I knew I would have to drastically alter my artistic practice. Like many artists, this practice helps me grapple with the complexities of what is happening around me, helps me make sense of the world. However, as a photographer, I was suddenly limited in what and whom I could photograph.”

As a result, Roe created unique images and videos at home. Each one reflected a reaction to the prompts from the stock photography companies. She used materials she already had and plans to create a book out of those images.

“In many of the images, I heighten the absurdity of the prompts or pull out some fascinating aspect or phrase that I think deserves further reflection. The resulting images and videos are varied in style but are connected by the sources of the prompts and the strange times we are living through now.”