June 18 – July 25
Reception: Friday, June 19, 5:30-7pm
Location: Holland Area Arts Council, Armstrong Gallery, 150 E 8th St, Holland, MI
In her exhibit photographic artist Dani F. Hughes creates a powerful dialogue between art, science, and family lineage by pairing her father’s childhood book, Pond Life, with her own multi-disciplinary practice of analog photography, printmaking, and handmade paper. Rooted in her upbringing in rural Michigan and her current practice as an MFA candidate and Photography lecturer at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Hughes revisits the Charlotte, Michigan pond of her youth to document gradual, climate-driven transformations—such as receding water levels and longer summers—that mirror larger themes of loss, resilience, and adaptation between bodies and landscapes. By intertwining her father’s early illustrations and natural science lessons with her own imagery, natural material experimentation, and poetic snippets derived from scientific descriptions, Hughes transforms strict observation into a deeply personal yet ecological archive. This ongoing collaboration blurs the lines between childhood imagination, inherited environmental knowledge, and a shifting ecosystem, inviting viewers to explore more of her work at danifhughes.com or on Instagram @danifhughes.