Ep 90: Using Art to Process Climate Anxiety and Loss: Katherine Seichen Rosing

Summary of the episode

In this deeply personal conversation, Madison-based artist Katherine Steichen Rosing shares how she uses immersive installations and abstract paintings to explore climate anxiety, environmental loss, and the intricate connections between forests and watersheds. Katherine opens up about processing grief through art—from losing her mother to witnessing climate change's impact on the landscapes she loves. She discusses her journey from childhood camping trips around Lake Superior to creating large-scale installations that examine carbon cycles, water systems, and atmospheric rivers. This episode offers insight into how artists can channel eco-anxiety into meaningful creative work while addressing urgent environmental issues through beauty and immersion.

Chapters:

• 00:25 - Exploring the Connections Between Art and Nature

• 05:26 - The Connection Between Nature and Art

• 12:25 - The Interconnectedness of Trees

• 13:25 - The Importance of Trees in Urban Life

• 22:24 - The Artistic Process: Navigating Uncertainty

• 27:46 - The Impact of Climate Spirits on Art

• 31:23 - Exploring Residencies and Nature's Influence on Art

• 39:30 - Navigating Artistic Challenges

• 45:39 - Exploring the Artist's Mind: Decisions and Vulnerability

• 49:54 - Environmental Awareness and Individual Action

Topics discussed:

• Processing personal loss and climate anxiety through environmental art
• The deep connections between forests, watersheds, and natural cycles
• Creating immersive installations that help viewers experience nature's systems
• How childhood experiences in nature shaped Katherine's artistic practice
• The role of beauty in addressing complex ecological issues
• Working with scientists during artist residencies at Trout Lake and St. Croix Watershed
• Atmospheric rivers, drought, and changing precipitation patterns
• Trusting your artistic instincts and working through creative uncertainty
• Individual actions we can take to address climate change
• The interconnectedness of trees and forest ecosystems

All about Katherine Steichen Rosing:

Katherine Steichen Rosing creates immersive installations and intricate abstract paintings that explore environmental processes linking forests and watersheds, including the carbon and water cycles. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries across the United States and abroad. She has received numerous grants and awards, including the Forward Art Prize and the Madison Arts Commission/Wisconsin Arts Board Individual Artist Fellowship. She earned an MFA in painting and drawing from Northern Illinois University, taught at universities and colleges in Madison and Chicago, and is represented by Kim Storage Gallery in Milwaukee and Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis.

Resources mentioned in this episode

• Susan Simard - Researcher studying how trees communicate and interconnect through root systems
• Trout Lake Research Station - Artist residency location in northern Wisconsin
• St. Croix Watershed Research Station - Science-based artist residency
• Pouch Cove Foundation - Artist residency in Newfoundland, Canada
• ARC Gallery - Chicago gallery collective that pioneered installation art spaces
• Greta Thunberg - Climate activist mentioned regarding individual action

Upcoming exhibitions

Solo Exhibition at K. Stecker Gallery, Ripon College, Ripon, Wisconsin

Opens: October 17, 2025

Artist Talk: October 17, 2025

Solo Exhibition at Kim Storage Gallery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Opens: April 17, 2026

On view: April 17 - May 23, 2026

Artist Talk: April 18, 2026

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

"When I look in the forest, I see that the old decaying logs or the trunks of the trees, they're fostering new life and nurturing new growth. They're decaying and becoming part of the soil. And it's just this beautiful life cycle."

"I think of white as a sort of a funeral color, like the absence of life and the draining of color. And so I was able to kind of try to give this sort of ghostly feeling as people walk through those translucent trees."

"We have to be our own final voice because we know what feels right."

"The answer to this or the lesson, I guess, is to not give up. Sometimes you just have to keep plugging away at it. Don't give up on the idea, but let it evolve."

"I think the thing that I'm passionate about, the idea that every single individual can make a difference... if we all make different buying decisions and act differently, all those actions add up."

Connect with Katherine Steichen Rosing

• Katherine's website
• Katherine's Instagram
• Join Katherine’s Newsletter

Connect with Stephanie

Instagram: @stephaniegraham

Email: [email protected]

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Episode Credits:

Produced, Hosted, and Edited by Me, Stephanie (teaching myself audio editing!)

Lyrics: Queen Lex

Instrumental: Freddie Bam Fam

Mentioned in this episode:

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