From the Ground explores the interconnectedness of the natural world and our reciprocal relationship with the ecosystems in which we are embedded – expanding our awareness of both the visible and invisible in our environments and broadening our sense of time. The exhibition is rooted in the learning principle articulated by the First Nations Education Steering Committee, which emphasizes “connectedness, reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place.” Within the urgency of the climate crisis, From the Ground invites shared dialogue and connection through creative and educational practices.

Curated by Holly Schmidt and Amelia Epp, From the Ground brings together drawings, sculptures, prints, and photographs representing the natural world through stories, materials, time, and natural processes. Works by contemporary Canadian artists Amelia Butcher, Xinwei Che, and Genevieve Robertson are shown alongside selections from the Artists for Kids and the Gordon Smith Gallery’s Permanent Collection which include, Lauren Brevner, James Nexw’Kalus-Xwalacktun Harry, Karin Bubaš, Edward Burtynsky, Victor Cicansky, Anna Binta Diallo, Toni Onley, Gordon Smith, and Charlene Vickers.

To turn down the noise of daily life, Fei Disbrow seeks out-of-the-way places where she can find small, unusual organisms. It is in these places where she observes and records unfamiliar, miniature lifeforms which are integral to this body of Disbrow’s work. Her research focuses on cryptogams, resilient and ancient organisms that cover 30% of earth’s soil surface and play a foundational role in ecosystems around the globe. Found in the Arctic, the desert, forests and cities, they are global extremophiles thriving in hostile habitats, capable of surviving death-like desiccation. This exhibition explores the rich, often-overlooked world of cryptogams—mosses, lichens, and algae—through Disbrow’s sculptural work.

Using a camera as a drawing tool, Disbrow captures these organisms without disturbing them. The images are printed directly onto metal, then cut out, using outlines that are intuitively determined. Sculpted to defy traditional format, the pieces are either gently bent to echo the subjects’ undulating topographies or mounted onto monochrome panels to form photographic relief collages. By isolating these remarkable lifeforms and shifting their scale, each piece – presented not just as a biological subject but as a visual wonder – becomes a quiet contemplation.