Originally from Australia, Bree Neyland earned her PhD in contemporary American literature and rhetoric and spent the first half of her career as an English professor at Loras College in Dubuque. After taking some art classes during the pandemic, she decided to go back to school and major in art and art education. Her artmaking explores the interaction between the human and natural worlds.
Her artmaking draws inspiration from both nature and the visionary social justice work of Jane Addams. It explores the interaction between the human and natural worlds, reminding us that interdependence is central to our survival. “I have an abiding love of the plants and creatures of nature,” she says, “especially when they collide with the human world. My artmaking often tells stories of funny farm life dramas, exaggerated depictions of salad fixings, flowers that are so lush they border on the sinister, birds in awkward poses in the midst of stunning natural scenes: these things make me smile. And I hope, in the end, that they engage others to see how interdependent we are, and to find joy in our coexistence.”
Bree was recently featured on The Situation Room with Holly Hart on KICI-LP, 105.3 FM, Iowa City. You can also hear this interview on SoundCloud.
Inspired by my love of nature, mythology, and story-telling, and drawing on a life-long love affair with speculative fiction, my creative works are both educational and aesthetic experiences that explore the way humans rely on the natural world to create metaphors for their identities.
On display through the month of May.
Free admission
Arts IC | ArtiFactory Gallery Open Saturdays | 1-3 pm
or by appointment
Location
Arts IC | ArtiFactory Gallery
120 N. Dubuque St.
Iowa City, IA 52240
