Nancy Agati Brings Nature, Mindfulness, And Art Together In Stunning Harmony
Photo: Nancy Agati’s innovative art eloquently bridges creativity and environmental awareness, inspiring reverence for nature through transformative, thought-provoking works.
Exploring The Intersection Of Art And Environment
Nancy Agati’s multidisciplinary art blends mindfulness, nature, and environmental themes, creating works that range from public installations to delicate drawings, captivating audiences and fostering a deeper connection to the natural world.
Nancy Agati is a force of nature in the contemporary art world, an artist whose work transcends boundaries and bridges the gap between creativity and environmental consciousness. Her artistic journey, from her multidisciplinary explorations in drawing, sculpture, and public art to her thought-provoking installations, reflects a profound reverence for the natural world. With a career spanning numerous national and international exhibitions, Agati captivates us by engaging with the themes of water, movement, and the delicate interactions between humanity and the environment.
What makes Nancy Agati’s work so compelling is not only her exceptional technical skill and versatile approach but also the mindfulness and deep intention that runs through each project. Her work invites viewers to pause, to notice, and to engage with the intricacies of the world around them. From the meditative calm of her studio practices to her immersive public carving events on riversides, Agati manages to balance the intimate with the communal, creating experiences that prompt reflection and connection.
In this conversation, we are thrilled to highlight Nancy Agati’s remarkable career, her dedication to environmental awareness, and her ability to transform natural materials and themes into timeless works of art. Through her innovative projects—whether responding to the flow of water, the arid beauty of drought-stricken landscapes, or the forces of nature at places like the Bay of Fundy—Agati inspires us to view the world through a lens of stewardship and curiosity. We are excited to share her insights, creative process, and vision for the future, which continue to evolve as she pushes the boundaries of artistic practice and environmental engagement.
How do you approach the intersection of mindfulness and your artistic practice, particularly with your focus on nature and materials?
In 2014, I began a Tending Space art and meditation fellowship granted by The Hemera Foundation. This fellowship was a year-long opportunity to explore mindfulness as it related to my art-making practice. Since then, I have continued to meditate, often upon entering the studio and especially when working outdoors. The mindfulness practice helps me to focus on the present moment and offers time to sit and consider the work before making a mark. Meditation encourages the act of noticing the intricacies of nature and the materials incorporated into my work.
“Meditation encourages the act of noticing the intricacies of nature and the materials incorporated into my work.” –Nancy Agati
In your work, water is a recurring theme. Could you explain how it influences your creative process and the forms you explore?
Water is flow and movement, water is pattern and reflection, water’s appearance is continuous, and water represents life. I have a fascination with the visual aspects of water – the calm it can convey and the power it holds. I have explored water in several mediums. My work fluctuates from images that capture the beauty and flow of water to works that present human interactions with the force of water.
You’ve worked in multiple mediums, from printmaking to public art. How do you decide which medium best suits a particular project or idea?
I work in several different mediums, generally experimenting with multiple approaches to drawing, with the idea that each process at its base is drawing. I define drawing in wide-ranging terms, and much of my artwork appears to straddle a line between drawing and sculpture. Many of my sculptures, installations, and public art pieces have come about through calls for proposals. Within this context, the concept or idea will determine the process and materials I choose to work with.
Can you discuss how your experiences during your artist residencies in places like Italy and Nova Scotia have influenced your work?
Each residency I have attended has influenced the direction of my work in a new way. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the Santa Fe Art Institute in 2004, I began experimenting with found natural materials and creating sculpture and ephemeral installations that responded to light, wind, and water.
The residency experience in Southern Italy in 2012 and this year in Sicily introduced me to the artisan traditions of my ancestral homeland. I researched the regional lace tradition, Tombolo, with its imagery that directly relates to the landscape, natural plant patterns, and curvilinear paths of ancient roadways. This visual inquiry led to a significant body of works on paper entitled Portico Series. Most recently, in Sicily, the drought and the parched earth of an island surrounded by water influenced a series of prints entitled Secco. Several residencies have taken place by the sea and have widened the scope of how I approach the topic of water within my work. Having the opportunity to witness the tides at the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, where the force of moving water is visibly prevalent, made a significant lasting impression.
Your community-oriented projects, such as the carving events along the Schuylkill River, seem to focus on participation. What role does the audience or community play in your creative process?
Public art projects offer an opportunity to work in an alternative manner, engaging the viewer and creating alongside them. For the carving of Churn Ripple Flow along the Schuylkill River and ~Ripple Effect on Staten Island, each participant community member carved their marks on the piece. The positive responses to the process were immediate as we worked together. Many participants expressed enjoying the focused nature of the task, the peaceful sounds of mallets and chisels, and the act of slowing down—taking time to create. The collaborative project brought people together to explore the concepts by which we see, perceive, notice, and experience our surroundings.
How do you see your work evolving in the future?
I work across multiple disciplines, shifting from drawing, painting, and printmaking to sculpture, installation, and public projects. I am a lifetime learner and look for new forms or methods to utilize in my work. Most recently, I have been revisiting the printmaking techniques that I learned in undergrad, both etching and lithography, to augment the marks and surfaces in new works on paper. At the same time, I have been creating public art installations made up of permeable materials to raise awareness about coastal and inland flooding due to climate change. My work fluctuates from presentations of the beauty and order in nature to projects that explore chaos, decay, or endangerment of the natural world. I expect these topics to continue to evolve in future works, emphasizing reverence for nature and attention toward stewardship.
Redline Critical Trends
Nancy Agati’s “Redline Critical Trends” masterfully intertwines abstract artistry with cartographic forms, creating a visually intricate narrative that explores the relationship between urban structures and natural environments. The dynamic interplay of map-like grids, organic textures, and flowing lines evokes a sense of tension and harmony between order and chaos. Agati’s use of bold colors, fragmented patterns, and water-inspired textures is both thought-provoking and visually captivating, reflecting her exceptional ability to merge environmental themes with contemporary art. Her work is a stunning exploration of humanity’s impact on the natural world.
EDITOR’S HIGHLIGHTS
Empowering Art & Artists Globally
“Being featured in WOWwART means gaining visibility not just in print edition, but across the entire media spectrum in the US, UK, Europe and beyond”
EDITOR’S HIGHLIGHTS
Media, Art and Artist
Media is a powerful tool to build relationships, boost visibility, influence decisions, and create lasting impressions for success and growth.
