Art Start

Weather research made into form

In Nathalie Miebach: Under A Restless Sky, weather records and images of storm damage become material for sculpture. Miebach, a Boston-based artist whose work connects art and science, researches weather patterns and natural disasters. She translates that information into woven constructions using materials including paper, wood and reed.

The installation draws on Arkansas weather history and considers how birds and people adjust to environmental change. One example is the Swainson’s Warbler, which can find refuge in areas damaged by extreme weather and later left by people. Miebach uses the idea of a refugium—a place where a species can shelter when conditions worsen—to raise questions about shared habitats for humans and birds.

The museum describes the installation’s circular movement as recalling both storms and the work of rebuilding. That context helps explain the painting prompt, but the Art Start listing does not say children will study the artist’s research or weaving process.

Further reading: Nathalie Miebach: Under A Restless Sky – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗

A story, then a bird in watercolor

Art Start is a recurring program for toddlers and preschoolers, generally combining a story, song and art-making with a featured letter or instrument. For Nov. 18, the event listing names a story and a painting activity; it does not identify that session’s song, letter or instrument.

The listed story is Mo Willems’s Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, followed by painting a watercolor bird inspired by the movement and atmosphere of Miebach’s installation. The exhibition is in the Art Perch / Jackson T. Stephens Gallery; Art Start takes place at Windgate Art School, so the two are separate locations within the museum.

Further reading: Art Start – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗ · Nathalie Miebach: Under A Restless Sky – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗