Ritschel brings forest art to Wisconsin

By Erica Walkup

Artists have used nature as inspiration for centuries, creating beautiful landscapes and sculptures for museums and galleries around the world. But rarely has art been displayed in the place that often inspired it: the great outdoors.

Ute Ritschel, one of the Arts Institute’s spring artists in residence, did a little bit of everything before bringing her work outside. With master’s degrees in acting and directing, she has a strong background in theater and performance art, and has studied anthropology, art history and arts administration in Europe and the United States.

In 1995, Ritschel started curating exhibitions in private gardens in her hometown of Darmstadt, Germany, after growing tired of the commercial art world. Attracting thousands of visitors within two weeks, Ritschel extended this idea into the biennial “Internationaler Waldkunstpfad” (International Forest Art Path), inviting artists from various cultural backgrounds to live and create art in the Darmstadt forest.

One of the artists at the first symposium in 2002 was Laurie Beth Clark, a UW–Madison art professor and associate vice chancellor for faculty and staff programs. Five years later, she was instrumental in bringing Ritschel’s vision to Wisconsin.

“Laurie Beth was so excited about the project and really wanted it to come here,” Ritschel says. “Nature is so close to everybody in Wisconsin. People like to be outdoors, and I want them to see nature with a different point of view.”

The theme for Ritschel’s 10-week residency is “Native/Invasive,” another topic on which she wants to shed a new light.

“When I came here two years ago, I was seeing environmentalists talking about invasive species and it sounded so negative,” she says. “To me, to be invasive is not necessarily negative but something new. It’s important to think about all of the new and different layers and to accept them.”

This subject will be explored in depth at the Forest Art Wisconsin conference at the Arboretum Friday and Saturday, April 20 and 21. The conference, which is free and open to the public, will bring together artists, curators, foresters and environmentalists to discuss a variety of issues relating to the forest, focusing on its ecological, social and artistic aspects.

“The diversity of the panels is quite amazing,” Ritschel says. “We want to really explore this connection between nature and art and bringing art outdoors.”

The conference will set the stage for an artists’ symposium, much like those curated in Darmstadt, in the Northern Highland American Legion State Forest near Minocqua, Wis., May 29-June 15. Participating artists include the art department’s Nancy Mladenoff, John Hitchcock, Gail Simpson and Aristotle Georgiades, and environment, textiles and design associate professor Jennifer Angus.

Ritschel hopes this exhibition will have the same effect on the forest’s visitors that her work has had in her native Germany.

“Everybody knows [forest art] exists in Darmstadt,” she says. “It influences their thinking and that’s what I would like to do here, to impact people’s perception.”

What can one expect to see in a forest art exhibition? Previous shows have included painted mushrooms, mirrors exposing otherwise hidden tree tops, and large plastic spheres in which visitors could sit and become part of the artwork.

For the Raven Trail, Angus is creating large blue-and-black bugs that will invade the forest, and Georgiades and Simpson’s piece will include birdseed that the forest’s native inhabitants can eat.

“Curating in alternative spaces is a hot idea in the art world; maybe we don’t need to be so reliant on a gallery,” says Megan Lotts, a project assistant for Forest Art Wisconsin. “Ute really looks outside of the box and takes this natural environment and renegotiates it. This project is for everyone; there is no cost to go on the trail and just enjoy art.”

In addition to preparing for the inaugural Forest Art Wisconsin event, Ritschel has been busy teaching her course, Curatorial Practice-Alternative Places and Concepts. The interdisciplinary class focuses on the practical elements of curating a show, including writing proposals, securing funding and creating press materials. Students are encouraged to find unusual venues for their shows, which do not have to be in a forest.

“Students are finding alternative spaces that attract their interests; they can do whatever they choose,” Ritschel says. One project involved a mandala on the ice in front of the Monona Terrace, and plans for a fashion show on city buses are in the works. “The students are really great and very excited about all of the projects.”

After the symposium near Minocqua, Ritschel will return to Germany and continue her many projects there. Although the future of Forest Art Wisconsin remains unclear, she hopes the idea will live on long after she leaves.

“For me, it is always important that whatever I start continues. Everything I do is a series; I am a strong believer of building one thing onto the next.”

For more information on Ritschel and her residency, visit http://www.arts.wisc.edu/artsinstitute/air/ritschel/. Learn more about Forest Art Wisconsin at http://www.forestartwisconsin.com.