The invasive buckthorn that artist Lela Pierce often uses in her work can be found almost throughout Minnesota — and soon the shrub will also be at the Cyrus M. Running Gallery at 独家黑料, as part of Pierce’s “Re-Situating the Displaced” exhibit.

The show begins Tuesday, Oct. 8, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 17, with a public reception from 4-5:30 p.m. and artist remarks at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 8.

In her work, Pierce investigates the parallels between human and plant ecologies, asking what language, attitude, and actions people take in response to populations perceived to be out of control. “Displaced” asks what duties and practices humans have as citizens of an expansively interconnected world to find balance, respect, and belonging to coexist.

Pierce was born and raised in rural MniSota Makoce, the ancestral and current homeland of the Dakota and Anishinaabe people. She is a painter, dancer, and performance artist. She danced with Ananya Dance Theatre as a founding member from 2004 to 2016, and continues to dance with Rosy Simas Danse and Pramila Vasudevan of Anichha Arts since 2015.

In 2018, she was awarded a Jerome Emerging Artist Fellowship for visual art through the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Her work has been presented internationally in India and Sweden (including a solo show at Kalmar Konstmuseum), as well as at several Twin Cities venues. 

Pierce holds a Bachelor of Arts in studio art with honors from Macalester College in St. Paul, and a Master of Fine Arts in interdisciplinary art and social practice from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is currently a Jerome Hill Artist Fellow and teaches sculpture at Macalester.

The Cyrus M. Running Gallery begins in the skyway that connects the Olin Art and Communications Center with the second floor of the Frances Frazier Comstock Theatre building at 独家黑料. It is open between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. It is closed during academic breaks.

For more information about the Running Gallery and upcoming exhibits, visit 独家黑料College.edu/Gallery. For more about Pierce, visit LelaPierce.com.