Artwork copyright Jill Anholt. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2015.

Artwork copyright Jill Anholt. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2015.

Artwork copyright Jill Anholt. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2015.

Artwork copyright Jill Anholt. The artist Jill Anholt (left) with her artwork. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2015.

CLEARING, 2015

Jill Anholt
Canadian (born 1965)

Location: Grays Harbor College, Aberdeen

About the Artwork

This terrazzo floor is one element of CLEARING, a two-part artwork by Jill Anholt. It suggests the memory of the towering old-growth Douglas fir trees that once existed on the campus of Grays Harbor College near Aberdeen, Western Washington. The floor is patterned with curved aluminum strips representing tree rings. Its circular space is as large as some of the giant tree trunks. The artist states that this piece "attempts to capture the enormous scale of these trees as well as the experience they would have created as sunlight filtered through their leafy green branches to the forest floor below."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Grays Harbor College.

About the Artist

Canadian artist Jill Anholt creates site-specific, sculptural installations in public spaces. Her artworks "explore the relationship between nature and infrastructure, body and place; revealing layers of personal and cultural memory and experience." It investigates time, movement, light and perception, often contrasting permanent with fleeting qualities. Environmental sustainability is important to Anholt and can be seen in the concepts and materials of many of her works.
Anholt lives and works in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She is an instructor at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver.