Suzanne Bocanegra is curious about attitudes toward the natural world as evidenced in what is collected and categorized. All the Native Plants of New England is a personal examination of the plants that grew in New England prior to the European colonization. The initial reference for her exploration was Botanica North America, by Marjorie Harris. However, Bocanegra sought out other sources such as reproductions, photos, and drawings, along with her own reactions to each plant. These mixed media “drawings” are constructed with a wide variety of materials and methods, but the drawn line is discernable in each. The point of interest differs from plant to plant. For instance, she draws the entire bellwort plant, but the red bud tree is expressed with a few fuchsia lines, or it is the curve of the yellow pouch of the lady slipper that absorbs her interest. Upon entering the central gallery, visitors are surrounded by bits of paper and other materials that are layered, stacked and attached to the wall and ceiling, expressing an idiosyncratic view of the plant world. The scattered appearance of the installation takes into consideration that only a few of these plants were cultivated for food, most grew wild, and were unfamiliar to first Europeans who encountered them.

Suzanne Bocanegra has exhibited widely including recent solo exhibitions at the Bowery Poetry Club, New York, NY, and Lucas Schoormans Gallery, New York, NY. Her work is part of Pattern Language, traveling from Tufts University, Medford, MA to the Textile and Fashion Museum, London. Her work has been exhibited at the Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC; Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland, ME; Serpentine Gallery, London, England; and Queens Museum, Queens, NY. Bocanegra has been recognized with awards from the New York Foundation for the Arts (2005, 2001, 1993, 1989), the Pollock-Krasner Foundation (2003, 1990, 1988) and grants from the Tiffany Foundation and the Joan Mitchell Foundation in 2001, the National Endowment for the Arts (1994), among others. Bocanegra holds a MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and a BFA from the University of Texas.

For more information visit www.lucasschoormans.com.

Suzanne Bocanegra is a 2004-05 Artists’ Fellowship recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA). This presentation is co-sponsored by Artists & Audiences Exchange, a public program of NYFA.

All the Native Plants of New England, 2005
gouache, ink, wax, pencil, fabric, found objects on paper
dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist and Lucas Schoormans Gallery, New York, NY
Installation in Glyndor Gallery, Wave Hill, 2005

All the Native Plants of New England, 2005           All the Native Plants of New England, 2005
detail                                                                        detail

All the Native Plants of New England, 2005
detail