A nonprofit art organization promoting art, artists, and land conservation.
Current Exhibition
Stop in to see the latest ARTservancy Artist in Residence
Current Exhibition
Featuring our ARTservancy Artists in Residence
Angela Johnson & Justin Bitner
Gallery 224 presents ARTservancy Artists,
Angela Johnson & Justin Bitner.
Their exhibition features photographic and wood
pieces inspired by their time at Zinn Preserve,
Meditative Coloring Event
Saturday Afternoon, March 19th, 1pm-3pm
Artists' Reception
Saturday Evening, March 19th, 5-6:30pm
March Gallery Hours
Thursday through Sunday, 11am-4pm
Images borrowed with permission from A Wealth of Nature blog by Eddee Daniels. Click here to visit the blog.
Angela & Justin
Artist Statement - Angela Johnson
As a photographer and installation artist, one of my favorite pastimes is exploring nature—parks, paths, habitats, state parks and preserves in Wisconsin. I am intrigued with both micro and macro environments, the details and subtleties that can be observed when we focus in and really look and spend time in nature. This year-long residency is an added bonus—my husband, Justin Bitner (also an artist and my collaborator) and I were both placed at Zinn. We live in Madison, and so we turn our visits to Zinn into exciting road trips, building the day around our trips there.
Artist Statement - Justin Bitner
I love exploring. I love observing. Much of my past work has been about collecting objects. The work I create about Zinn Preserve will start with the collection of photographic images from many visits. Like, Angela, I have been drawn to the micro- and macro-aspects of nature while on site. The same patterns echo from all around, patterns in the roots of the trees to the veins in the leaves. Repetition continues within the entire eco-system they inhabit, from the branching of the stream and valleys to the animal trails that run from hilltop to lake.
Detail of Angela Johnson's Spring 2021 Collection, Zinn Preserve
Artservancy stories
I approach my work at Zinn Preserve with curiosity and a sense of exploration, using both a macro lens and a wide-angle lens, capturing tiny details as well as vast landscapes. In addition, I am also using a medium format Holga toy film camera in order to get a unique view and perspective. I am threading the needle through the continued exploration in the photographs I create. (Angela Johnson)
Detail of Angela Johnson's Fall 2021 Collection, Zinn Preserve
Angela Johnson is an artist, educator and creativity coach living in Madison, WI. She earned both her MA in Art Education and MFA with a focus in photography from UW-Madison. Her work focuses on alternative processes in photography, installation and bookmaking. She has shown her work widely, participating in group exhibitions, including the Fort Worth Cultural Art Center, Ft. Worth, TX; Tilt Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ; Wichita Falls Museum of Art, Wichita Falls, TX, The Creole Creamery (part of Photo NOLA), New Orleans, LA; FotoFest in Houston, TX, and the Museum of Wisconsin Art.
Angela has been a lecturer at UW-Madison in the Art Department, teaching both Intro to Darkroom and Intro to Digital Photography to undergraduate students. She has two decades of experience teaching in formal and informal learning environments, including elementary schools, museums, senior centers, colleges and universities.
From Angela Johnson's Fall & Winter 2021 Collection, Zinn Preserve
My first instinct as an artist is to use the photographs I create to explore fractal-based sculptural objects. What final work will be created using these ponderings? In the past my work was an attempt to model what I observe into imagery with a specific meaning. Over the years I have learned to wait and let the subject mold my outcome. What will a full year of exploration of one environment end in? I am curious to see how I will turn the two-dimensional photographs documenting the micro/macro of Zinn Preserve back into three three-dimensional objects…. (Justin Bitner)
Justin Bitner is an Artist/Craftsman residing in Madison, Wisconsin, where he attended UW Madison and earned his MFA. His work there involved creating environments based on sound and time, exploring spaces and human-made objects.
He subsequently served as Artist in Residence at the Madison Public Library to create “Community Through Art.” He constructed a 50-foot-long pinewood derby track and invited local craftsmen to create “Art Cars.” While there, he held workshops for children to build cars from kits, themed on their favorite library books.
Justin’s current work is installation-based. He pillages the nooks and cervices of various maker environments, investigating objects once used or created by others, most of which were deemed too beautiful to throw away.
Justin Bitner, 2021, Zinn Preserve
Detail, 2021, Zinn Preserve
