Bio

Heather McMordie is an artist, educator, and curator based in Arlington, VA. Her work explores the complexities of soil science and environmental restoration through prints, puzzles, artist books, and interactive installations. She is especially interested in how experiences with art objects can mirror field research experiences and create opportunities for tacit learning. She has developed projects through field explorations and collaborations in Guyana, South Africa, and the US. Her work is in the collection of the Georgia Museum of Art, and has been exhibited in museums nationally, including the Newport Art Museum, RISD Museum, and Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.

Artist Statement

I use printmaking to explore the complexities of soil systems and the lives they sustain. Informed by on-site scientific research, my prints, installations, textiles, and artist books are often interactive, inviting viewers into an in-gallery action that parallels environmentally conscious real-world actions. Each piece acts as a point of entry into tacit bodies of knowledge (the things we only know after feeling, smelling, or even tasting an ecosystem) within soil science.
Learning from soil scientists, restoration ecologists, ornithologists, and others has impressed upon me the importance of physical experience in developing a holistic understanding of place. Recently, my focus has been on salt marsh soils and coastal restoration efforts. This body of work draws inspiration from the biological diversity of salt marshes and labor poured into restoring these ecosystems and asks: How can we labor towards environmental care together? Through artist books, sound works, interactive mending projects, and collaborative prints, I strive to create dynamic and multi-sensory art experiences, inviting viewers to look and act with care.