JACKSON, Wyo. – After a year-long search, the National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) has welcomed Kennis Forte as the new associate curator of art.
When you walk down the stairs of the NMWA, you’ll come face to face with a moose with water flowing from its antlers. This sculpture by T.D. Kelsey is a favorite of Forte’s, who has a deep appreciation for how the NMWA brings people closer to observing and understanding the wildlife in Jackson Hole. This appreciation, paired with Forte’s background in European art and the importance of place in cultural expression, drives her vision for curation and community outreach.
Forte understands that art always comes from our own perspective. Seeing animals through a human lens in artwork can help people empathize more deeply with local wildlife. “There are often anthropomorphic tendencies when viewing or making wildlife art, because we understand animals first how they relate to ourselves,” Forte says. She emphasizes how the museum highlights artists and pieces that draw attention to threatened or endangered species.
“Artists can bring us places that we can’t go ourselves or haven’t gone.”
Kennis Forte
Forte also finds powerful meaning in the European artistic visions of American wildlife. Landscape can capture the imagination and allow people to engage with the wilderness even if they can’t physically travel to the location. “Artists can bring us places that we can’t go ourselves or haven’t gone,” Forte said. In the NMWA, people have the ability to travel both geographically and through time to foster a deeper appreciation for protecting wild species.
Forte is joining curator of art Tammi Hanawalt, Ph.D., to “research and execute changing exhibitions and maintain a permanent collection that connects humanity with wildlife and nature,” according to a press release from NMWA. Forte is looking forward to expand on the legacy and accessibility of the museum and of Jackson Hole to help bring awareness of wildlife to as many people as possible.
There are a number of species listed as threatened or endangered in Grand Teton National Park, and recently the grizzly bear, mountain lion and wolf have been the focus of Buckrail articles.
