spirits live here

by Emily Donovan

Spirits Live Here is Emily Donovan’s homage and appeal to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, located within the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota. Part of the historic and contemporary homelands of the Ojibwe, the 1.1 million acres is one of the most protected wilderness areas in the country but is threatened by the encroachment of sulfide-ore copper mining. Using handmade natural dyes and minerals to reflect the area’s geologic shapes and colors, this painting also celebrates nature’s generosity while contemplating the delicacy of the intertwined relationship between humans and the environment.