Fire/Land: The Exhibition

FIRE/LAND: The Exhibition is an installation of Ameera Godwin’s digital prints and video, representing the artist’s creative journey into local forest lands in response to wildfire and climate grief, vulnerability, and responsibility. FIRE/LAND: Knowing the Territory, an art rock opera for the forest, is co-presented by American River Conservancy and Myrtle Tree Arts, to be performed on June 10, 2023 at Wakamatsu Farm, Placerville.

Opening Reception: Thursday, June 8, 6 - 8 pm
Artist Talk: Thursday, July 13, starting at 6 pm

FIRE/LAND: The Exhibition is an installation of Myrtle Tree Arts cofounder Ameera Godwin’s digital prints and video, representing the artist’s creative journey into local forest lands in response to wildfire and climate grief, vulnerability, and responsibility. Featuring prints and looping video, FIRE/LAND: The Exhibition follows the creative journey that Godwin embarked on following the intensity of the Caldor Fire in 2021.

"From our lawn, we watched a towering plume of smoke with an angry yellow core rise just a few miles away," says Godwin about the experience. "Across a wide swath of the county, families were evacuated, losing homes and whole communities. Lives have been painfully disrupted ever since. That experience propelled me to do this work."

Using original and found footage, Godwin creates video that bends time - linking past, present, and future - to highlight how a legacy of past wildfire suppression has contributed to the intense wildfires we've experienced in recent years. Layering images of fire-scarred habitats and fire progression maps, she invites viewers to consider alternative approaches to forest management, at once evoking historical facts and today's lived realities.

For more information on the rock opera, visit https://myrtletreearts.com/fireland-2023.