Benjamin Pollock: Artist in Residence in the Milwaukee River Greenway

August 26, 2024  |  Topics: featured artist

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The Natural Realm presents Benjamin Pollock, who is among 12 artists participating in a year-long residency program called ARTservancy, now in its fifth year. ARTservancy is a collaboration between Gallery 224 in Port Washington and the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust, River Revitalization Foundation, Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy, Tall Pines Conservancy, and Lake Michigan Bird Observatory. The mission of ARTservancy is to promote the visionary work of both the artists and conservationists. Each artist has selected a preserve to spend time in and to engage with.

Reflections from the Artist

By Benjamin Pollock

During my ARTservancy residency, I set out to explore the interconnectedness of all living things in the context of the Milwaukee River Greenway. This vast stretch of land winds through a large area of Milwaukee, but I spend most of my time in the portion running through the Riverwest neighborhood and Shorewood. I am partnered with the Lake Michigan Bird Observatory.

The concept of a shared existence first developed during my time as a chemist. Back then, I was fascinated by the idea that all known forms of life share an atomic composition, namely carbon. From the towering trees to the bacteria occupying the soil, everything in this park is a carbon-based marvel. I decided to primarily focus on the avian life that inhabits this area in order to make this expansive concept more manageable within the framework of a one-year artist residency. 

My relationship with the Milwaukee River Greenway is a personal one. The river shares an arbitrary, man-made boundary with my backyard. Its constant flow creates a soundtrack to quiet moments at home and to my visits to the park. The river carries both pollutants and nutrients, simultaneously poisoning and supporting the thriving ecosystem. The evidence of humans here is unfortunately not limited to pollutants in the water, but also the plastic fallout from our convenience-based lifestyles. Ironically, even these plastics are mostly carbon, and will eventually become integrated into the broader carbon cycle of this area. 

My first piece, Light Cycle, examines the relationship between an oak tree, a cicada, and a barn swallow, representing a cascade of energy ultimately derived from our sun. Coincidentally, this is a key educational principle for the Lake Michigan Bird Observatory. I am also working on a drawing of a hairy woodpecker, where its defining spots extend beyond the physical constraint of its feathers (below).

During my visits, I’ve spent hours studying the ground, the branching patterns of trees, and trying to catch birds in the field of my binoculars. My meticulous observations often lead to ideas for new drawings or relationships I want to explore in my art. The plants form most of this natural stage but it is the birds that do most of the eye-catching. Their oversight and freedom to relocate inspired me to challenge myself artistically, pushing the boundaries of surrealism, through abstraction, while still conveying the soothing aesthetics of the natural world.

Compositionally, I challenged myself at the onset of this residency to focus not on single subjects, but on relationships. This is a departure from my earlier work, where subjects often floated in the center of an empty, negative space. I wanted to create compositions capable of telling a story rather than simply convey an aesthetically pleasing idea. I also wanted to highlight the inherent beauty of the more mundane or ordinary birds and flora, which I feel is often taken for granted in our fast-paced lifestyles.

Beyond the body of work inspired by my visits to the park, this residency has also given me less time with society, less time with screens and media, and more time with myself and nature. The experience marked the beginning of a more intimate appreciation for a local part of our universe. 

Gallery

Artist Bio

While I always envisioned myself as an artist in some capacity, I decided to pursue my education in chemistry. I earned my Master’s degree in Organic Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2013. Towards the end of graduate school, I rediscovered my passion for drawing, finding inspiration in the geometric structures of organic molecules. It was not until 2019 that I enrolled in my first formal art class, an introduction to screen printing at UW Madison. I quickly realized the potential of this medium to transform my drawings into something tangible and gallery-worthy. Seeking a more diverse art scene, I moved to Milwaukee in the summer of 2022. Within a year, I co-founded Inklab MKE, a community screen printing studio, partnered with Anchor Press, Paper, and Print (AP3). I’m excited to continue exploring the natural world through the lens of a trained chemist, pushing my work into new directions and possibly more dimensions.

This residency is sponsored byLake Michigan Bird Observatory. To learn more about the Milwaukee River Greenway go to our Find-a-Park page.

Related stories:

Brian Hibbard: Artist in Residence in the Milwaukee River Greenway

Meghan Burke McGrath: Artist in Residence in the Milwaukee River Greenway

There are numerous other stories related to the Milwaukee River Greenway in The Natural Realm; a complete list is available on our Find-a-Park page.

This is the latest in our series of featured artists, which is intended to showcase the work of photographers, artists, writers and other creative individuals in our community whose subjects or themes relate in some broad sense to nature, urban nature, people in nature, etc. To see a list of previously featured artists, click here. The work of the 2022-2023 ARTservancy artists in residence is currently being exhibited monthly at Gallery 224. To meet the other ARTservancy artists in residence, click here.

All images courtesy of the artist, except as noted. Lake Michigan Bird Observatory is a project partner of A Wealth of Nature.

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