St. Louis–based artist Janie Stamm will kick off her new exhibit, Wet Garden, on January 24 with a special opening reception. The collection of works will be on view at the High Low Gallery, the Kranzberg Arts Foundation’s literary arts cafe, until April 6.
Stamm was born and raised just outside Everglades National Park in Broward County, Florida, which narrowed her artistic focus on preserving Florida’s environmental and queer history in the face of climate change.
Stamm found her way to St. Louis for college, receiving an MFA in visual art from Washington University in St. Louis. She earned many accolades during her academic career, including the Frida Kahlo Creative Arts Award, and now resides on the western banks of the Mississippi River.
Even though Stamm has lived in the Midwest for more than a decade, she says her art remains endlessly inspired by her obsession with Florida’s culture and ecology. “As I’ve [progressed] in my career, I’ve noticed how all of my art is dedicated to where I come from, and it’s almost like I’m trying to recreate home here. So with this show, what I wanted to do was take viewers on a journey to Florida. It’s almost like I’m bringing a paradise vacation to you,” Stamm says.
This project focuses on the Floridan Aquifer, a fully submerged geological formation in the southeastern United States. It is one of the most productive aquifers of its kind, providing drinking water to nearly 10 million people.
Stamm says that the region where she grew up is particularly vulnerable to climate change issues common throughout the southeast. Water will often push up from underneath the land and flood the interior of the state.
“For years, my work was almost like this perpetual mourning practice of, I’m losing my home, all of these histories that weren’t written down [and] tiny, ephemeral moments that happen in nature and culture. What’s happening to those, will they be lost underwater? Instead of just being stuck in the doom and gloom of the things I can’t change, I was like, How do I evolve alongside this?”
Stamm weaves together Florida’s queer culture and ecology in hopes of preserving both and proving that not everything can or will be lost to rising sea levels. She draws inspiration from the aquifer, reimagining it as a preservation space, safe underneath the water.
Moments from the past are preserved and spotlighted throughout the exhibition through a souvenir collection gathered from various locations—from Floridian gas stations and national parks to Missouri vintage stores. Other media, including embroidery and assemblage, will be featured throughout, all in service to bringing the histories that have long fascinated Stamm to life.
“In the current state of the country, this show is designed to serve as a sanctuary, a place of solace, the joy of being queer and the joy of just existing as you are,” Stamm says. “Come as you are and find something that might bring you happiness.”