The U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, headquartered in Washington, D.C., acquired Professor Jing Zhou’s artwork “Ancient Gaze” (20″x40″ print size) for the Office of the Secretary Art Collection, a subset of the Interior Museum’s collection. The artwork was selected from the Artists in Residence in Everglades (AIRIE) collection inaugurated about 25 years ago. Since 2001, AIRIE has welcomed over 200 fellows to support and enhance the arts and cultural heritage of the Everglades subtropical wilderness—an international treasure and a World Heritage Site.
Zhou, MFA, professor of Graphic and Interactive Design in the Department of Art and Design, was honored to be selected as an artist-in-residence by Everglades National Park in 2006. Everglades’ unparalleled scenery and diverse wildlife have left her with a profound impact and deep appreciation. Following her residency, she created the digital image “Ancient Gaze”—a combination of photomontage and digital painting, which became part of the AIRIE collection in the same year. Additionally, Zhou has served as an artist-in-residence at several other national parks throughout her career, such as the Weir Farm National Park, Gates of the Arctic National Park, and Grand Canyon National Park.
“It is a great privilege to have my artwork included in this prestigious museum collection,” said Zhou. “I would never have thought that ‘Ancient Gaze’ would find a home in our nation’s capital, representing the breathtaking Everglades to a wider audience. I feel incredibly honored and grateful to have the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the U.S. Department of the Interior Museum and the National Park Service through artistic endeavor.”
The National Park Service—a federal bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior—preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. Since 1938, the Interior Museum’s mission has been to inspire and educate departmental employees and the public about the ongoing stewardship of the nation’s public lands, natural resources, and cultural heritage. Therefore, the museum acquires objects which promote understanding of the department’s activities and holds them in trust through documentation, preservation, and management of the collection.
The artwork in the Office of the Secretary Art Collection is available for museum exhibits as well as for display in selected offices within the Department of the Interior’s headquarters building in Washington, D.C. These offices include the offices of the secretary, assistant secretaries, deputy secretary, solicitor, chief of staff, bureau directors, and other select senior DOI staff. The museum’s Art-in-Office program serves the dual purpose of placing aesthetically pleasing yet relevant artwork in selected offices as well as connecting employees working in the Udall building to the areas of impact their work has throughout the country and affiliated Island communities.
The museum is currently installing a temporary exhibit titled A Gift to All: Interior’s Artists in Residence, featuring artworks from its AIR collaborations. “Ancient Gaze” will be part of this exhibition.
Through a narrow vertical window, this carefully crafted image provides a glimpse of the Everglades at a moment when the ancient gaze intertwines with the present breeze. Guarded by cypress trees, the boundless space of marsh and water forms the endless horizon, where the many-colored ocean and the raindrops of the golden sunset are one on summer days of dead calm. —An excerpt from the Artist’s Statement