ARTIST'S STATEMENT
Myarthighlightsinterdependentrelationshipsacrossspecies. Mushroomsareneitherplantsnoranimals,confoundingourmost basictaxonomies Theypopupwherewedon'texpectthem As Agricolawrotein1726,mushroomsthriveinrottenplaces: "Mushroomswhichhavetheirrootsinrottengroundspreadvery far."Ihavecreatedherbariathathonorthewildlifeofmushrooms.
Traditionally,anherbariumisacollectionofpressedplant specimens,mountedonpaper,anddescribedinkeendetailfor farmersandgardeners.Althoughmyprintsalsousepressed plants,mytechniquedepartsfromtheherbariumwhenIplacea mushroom,thatIforagedfromtheCenter'sgrounds,gill-side down,ontopofherbsgatheredfromthenearbykitchengarden Themushroomsreleasetheirtinypowderyspores,leavingan
impressionofleavesandflowers.Onceremoved,theplant's silhouetteisexposedwithabstractpatterns.Eachsporeprintis unique,renderingvisiblemycorrhizae,theintimatecollaboration betweenplantrootsandfungalhyphaewhichmodernauthor MerlinSheldrakedescribesinEntangledLife(2020)as“a collectiveflourishingthatunderpinsourpast,present,andfuture”
TheKinneyCenter’scollectionofbotanybooks,herbals,and gardeningmanuals,revealsevidenceofthehumandesiretouse, cure,correct,orcontrolnature.Inotice,lookingatJohnGerard’s Herbal(1633),thatheclassifies“thenatureofallplantsfromthe highestCedartothelowestMoss”inrelationtotheir“use”for humans.Gerardcatalogsthevisualbeautyofaplant’sform,but hewasalsoconcernedwiththeir“virtues”ormedicinalproperties. Forexample,hesuggeststhatwormwoodcuresailmentssuchas “aweakstomack”
LikeGerard,WilliamLawson,inANewOrchardandGarden (1648),demonstratesthehumandesireforcontrolofearthly matterwhenheasks,“WhatisArtmorethanaprovidentand skilfulCorrectrixofthefaultsofNatureinparticularworks?”For Lawson,gardendesignistheartoflandmanagement.Land managementcorrectsnature alogiclaidbareinthetitleof anotheragriculturalmanual,TheEnglishImproverImproved,by WalterBlithe(1653),whichdetailshowto“cure”landscapessuch asfens,moors,andforestsformaximizedagriculturalproduction.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Madge Evers is an educator, gardener, and visual artist whose work celebrates decomposition and regeneration. Referencing photosynthesis and the collaboration in mycorrhiza, her practice involves foraging for mushrooms and plants in the forests and hills of Western Massachusetts. In 2021, she was a Mass Cultural Council fellowship finalist in photography. After teaching for twenty-five years in Rhode Island and Massachusetts public schools, Evers now works as a full-time artist When the sun shines, she facilitates cyanotype workshops for people of all ages