Artwork copyright Deborah Mersky. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Artwork copyright Deborah Mersky. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Stacey McRae.

Artwork copyright Deborah Mersky. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Stacey McRae.

Artwork copyright Deborah Mersky. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Stacey McRae.

Artwork copyright Deborah Mersky. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Cycad Wall, 2005

Deborah Mersky
(American, born 1955)

Location: The Evergreen State College, Olympia

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Artist Deborah Mersky's Cycad Wall connects past and present. Cycads are an ancient type of plant from the Jurassic period with a woody trunk and a crown of large, stiff, evergreen leaves, and their seeds are open to the air. The Cycad Wall artwork depicts the cycad plant alongside the seeds, fossils, and other plants and insects important to its lifecycle. It also inserts the ancient cycad into the modern-day gardening plan of the building and surrounding area at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Western Washington.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with The Evergreen State College.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Artist Deborah Mersky creates artworks in a variety of media, including painting, prints, and large-scale public installations. She notes, "The overlapping worlds of nature and human habitation on earth is what interests me, particularly the delicate, off kilter moment we currently reside in."

Deborah Mersky grew up in Austin, Texas, lived in Seattle for many years, and now lives near Johnson City, Texas. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Washington in Seattle and has been exhibiting her work since 1980.