Theme: Earth Sciences

The GVSU Art Museum Collection contains artworks which relate to Earth sciences in many ways. Here you will find ideas for how to incorporate this kind of artwork into your classroom, learning resources, and previous exhibit information. Additionally, due to the large number of works in the collection related to this topic, we have created the sub-themes of: The Ravines, Natural Disasters, Earth from Space, Human Impact, Food Crises and Accessibility, Our Diverse Planet, Recycle/Repurpose, and the Flint Water Crises.

Photograph image from space of planet Earh

Nasa and the Johnson Space Center, Earth, digital photograph, 2011, 2013.70.33.

Earth Sciences Art in the Collection

Colorful painting of a landscape scene with clue skies and power lines.

Kristine Vander Velde, A Lonely Place, oil on canvas, 2020, 2021.10.1.

Photograph of a person kneeling near a wall that says "Need Help" in Haiti after an earthquake.

Steven L. Smith, Need Help, Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, photograph, 2012, 2013.73.20.

Painting of a landscape with tree and grass with large smoke cloud from a steam plant.

Ivan Fortushniak, Landscape, oil on panel, 2016.103.11.

Digital drawing of oil drums and oil in water.

Ryan Harbin, More is Better, digital print, 2011, 2011.22.4

Photograph of a sculpture hanging on a wall. Sculpture is made of small pieces of yellow plastic pieced together like a quilt.

Serge Attukwei Clottey, My Statement, plastic, wire, and oil paint, 2017, 2023.32.1.

Print of a cartoon man holding a small pig in a corn field. The word "Revitalize" is at the top of the poster.

Noa Denmon, Revitalize, print, 2021, 2022.49.12.

View More Earth Science Art in the Collection

Incorporating Earth Sciences Artwork into your Curriculum

The GVSU Art Museum can integrate artwork into your classroom discussions, assignments, projects, and more. Check out our calendar to see if one of our already planned events meets a goal for your students, or reach out to us directly to plan something tailored to your needs. We can bring artwork to your classroom; you can visit our art storage or office spaces or book a tour of an exhibition or space on campus.

The GVSU Art Museum team can work with faculty one-on-one to create lesson plans or assignments. Whether you are looking for a behind-the-scenes experience, something hands-on, a creative usage of art in your classroom, or a more traditional assignment, we are here to assist you.

Studies show that information which is introduced or reinforced with visuals is more effective than reading or hearing alone. Use work from the GVSU Art Collection to reinforce your classroom content. Whether this is through the emotional response of a lonely polar bear on a melting iceberg, a work which criticizes the usage of fossil fuels, a scientific photograph of the Earth, a protest poster urging us to protect water, or a hopeful work which encourages us to plant seeds, the Collection has a work which will enhance your curriculum.

To talk with us about creating a curriculum connection, please contact:
Jessica Sundstrom, Learning and Outreach Manager
sundstje@gvsu.edu

Colorful painting with lots of greens and blues of an aerial view of Earth as if the artist painted it from space.

Darleene F. Nelson, A World Imagined, Mixed Media, ca. 2002, 2002.636.1.

Explore More Earth Science Themes in the Collection

Painting of dark brown and grey abstract trees.

Elizabeth Deforest, Ravines, oil on canvas, 2 013.29.2.

The Ravines

Painting of a dark cloud with tornado touching the ground against a yellow sky, tossing leaves around.

Ed Wong-Ligda, Tornado Near Joplin, oil on canvas, 2017, 2023.8.22.

Natural Disasters

NASA and the Johnson Space Center, The Amazon, digital photograph, 1992, 2013.70.38.

Earth from Space

View of an illustrated cross section of earch with trash mixed among rocks, roots and catfish.

Meg Perec, The Mekong River Catfish, mixed media print, 2004, 2005.066.1.

Human Impact

Black and white print of plants growing from buckets and jars.

Alynn Guerra, Canned Food, print, ca 2010, 2014.97.1.

Food Crisis and Accessibility

Colorful print of a woman covered in illustrated tres and plants. Her upper torso and face are barely visible.

Linnea Songer, The Deciduous Forest, pen, watercolor, and gold foil, 2018, 2018.38.4.

Our Diverse Planet

Photograph of a sculpture created by weaving together different plastics and trash.

Kelsey Merreck Wagner, The Wrong Amazon is Burning #2, plastic bags, bubble wrap, waste yarn, and cotton wrap, 2020, 2024.38.1.

Recycle/Repurpose

Valerie Wojo, 1,679 Days....and Counting, digital photograph poster, 2018, 2018.90.2.

Flint Water Crisis

Activities and Resources

Exhibition: Climate Matters: Our Changing and Resilient Planet
Drawn from the art collection at Grand Valley State University, this exhibition features work by artists engaged with the Earth and our impact on it

Photograph of seeds in containers relating to a past exhibition featuring Shilin Hora's seed museums.

Past Exhibition: Seed Museums: Viewing and Using Nature
This exhibition featured artwork by GVSU Alum Shilin Hora inspired by natural history museum displays. Each of Hora's compilation of seeds tells the story of the relationship she has with a specific place and sustainability.

Detail images of five artists from Mexico

Past Exhibition: To Sustain a Continent: An Exploration of South African Resource Management
In 2015, GVSU student Hannah Mico studied abroad and studied resource management confronting communities bordering the Kruger National Park in South Africa. The exhibition featured photographs illustrating her observations and experiences.

Photograph of artist Caleb Cain Marcus with three representations of his artwork.

Artist Profile: Caleb Cain Marcus
Caleb Cain Marcus is a New York City-based photographer whose images inspect themes of environmental justice or injustice through depictions of nature, people, and the invisible.

Photograph of artist Georgia Roswell with image of her artwork created from recycled fabrics.

Artist Profile: Georgia Roswell
Reusing fabrics and materials often found in thrift stores, artist Georgia Roswell creates work heavily influenced by geology and environmental justice.

Three examples of scuptures by Tom Czarnopys.

Artist Profile: Tom Czarnopys
Working with various mediums, artist Tom Czarnopys has used live models, sculptures, photographs, and scientific drawings to explore the relationship between humans and nature.

Water of a beaker with dirty water. Click to learn more about a past exhibition about water challenges in El Salvador and Flint, Michigan.

Past Exhibition: Water: Human Right or Commodity?
This exhibition explored human rights in a world of increasingly limited natural resources; specifically looking at access to clean water. GVSU Social Work faculty brought photographs and stories of the water-related challenges faced in both El Salvador and Flint, Michigan.

Past Exhibition: Canal by Canal
Photographer Jason Reblando engages the natural and built environments as well as the people that comprise Valencia’s irrigation community in support of research by Dr. Erik Nordman, natural resources management professor at Grand Valley State University.

Title banner for the exhibit Making Waves with blue lettering and an outline of the state of Michigan

Past Exhibition: Making Waves
The Making Waves Initiative created collaboration and opportunities across campus among students, faculty, staff, and community to explore and investigate the many ways that water permeates our lives and the natural world around us.

Photograph of Norwood Viviano and three examples of his artwork.

Artist Profile: Norwood Viviano
In his recent work, artist Norwood Viviano explores population shifts and industry in the manufacturing cities of Michigan, combining traditional sculptural works of bronze or glass with 3D modeling and printing technology.

Photograph of artist Mariel Versluis with three examples of her artwork.

Artist Profile: Mariel Versluis
Mariel Versluis' childhood, which was spent on a farm, influences her work today, whether it be in her woodblock prints, drawings, or 3-dimensional sculptures. Her images includes themes found in the natural world.

Three examples of Ivan Fortushniak's paintings

Artist Profile: Ivan Fortushniak
Ivan Fortushniak's paintings call into question how humans can be better caretakers of the environment through beautiful landscapes scarred with images of decay, including airplanes, factories, and power plants.

Photograph of the artist Shilin Hora and three examples of her artwork.

Artist Profile: Shilin Hora
In her printmaking and sculpture, artist Shilin Hora uses physical elements of the natural world, specifically seeds, to create works of art that speak on themes of sustainability and conservation.

Poster with the words "What We Can Grow From Crisis"

Student Project: Food for Thought
Food for Thought was a student-created project in coordination with the "Climate Matters: Our Changing and Resilient Planet"

Header Images:
Left
Dr. Jim Penn, Plastic in the Port, photograph, 2016.60.1.
Roger Peet, Climate Strike, relief print, 2019, 2024.20.15.
Kirk Rasmussen, Ailik, digital photograph, 2014, 2015.16.1.

Center
Caleb Cain Marcus, Human, Earth, Water, and Space, archival pigment print, 2013, 2 020.46.70.
Meghan Kelly, Ravine Clay Bottle #3, clay and wood, 2009, 2 009.105.3
Brett Colley, Envisioning Freedom: "Water is Life, Oil is Death," digital print, 2018, 2019.25.10.

Right
Alynn Guerra, Food is a Human Right, monotype, ca 2008, 2009.40.19.
Patrick Millard, Formatting Gaia: Accessing the Terrestrial Sphere, photographic print, 2007, 2 021.80.2c.
Mathias Alten, View of the Gas Works from Lower Island on the Grand, oil on canvas, 1905, 2 005.221.1.

Art on Campus

For more information about the artwork selection and installation process, please contact our Project Manager, Alison Christensen; chrisali@gvsu.edu.

University Art Collection

For questions related to any artwork in the University Art Collection, in storage or on view, please contact our Collections Manager, Nicole Webb; webbnic@gvsu.edu.

Learning

For questions about integrating artwork into curriculum, please contact our Learning and Outreach Manager, Jessica Sundstrom; sundstje@gvsu.edu.

Page last modified January 8, 2025

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