Developed in collaboration with the Georgia Writers Museum, the upcoming will feature the art of painter Raven Waters, potter Senora Lynch (Haliwa-Saponi Tribe), and Steffen Thomas. This environmentally-focused exhibition will explore, with artists and writers and audience, our place in the natural world: do we exist as a part of nature? Or outside of nature, experiencing the environment as a tourist or a consumer? The title is a play on the internet phrase “touch grass” or “go touch some grass” that is said as a criticism to someone that they have been online too much and are disconnected from reality/the real world.

Studies show that the impact of experiencing art in person is as impactful as experiencing nature in person. Viewing art and nature on our screens is not enough – we need to touch grass. The invited artists in this exhibition have deep connections to the environments, as did Steffen Thomas. In viewing how these artists used different media to express that connection, we hope to spark curiosity, wonder, and a sense of custodianship about the natural world in students, as well as adults, who experience this exhibition.