Catherine Chalmers

Catherine Chalmers’ work lies at the intersection of art, science, and nature. She conducts extensive research for each of her long-term, multimedia projects, and direct, physical engagement with the natural world is central to her process. Through her art, she aims to give form to the richness — as well as the brutality and indifference — that often characterize humanity’s relationship with nature.

Chalmers uses the narrative possibilities of the visual arts to bridge the growing divide between humans and the environment, and to creatively engage with the systems that support life on Earth. She believes that culture is far richer when it includes and considers other life forms.

Though she has worked across media — from engineering and painting to photography, video, sculpture, and drawing — her artistic practice has always centered on one core issue: how to confront and challenge an anthropocentric worldview. Humanity has long drawn lines in the sand to define what belongs and what does not. Perhaps now, in the dawn of the Anthropocene, it is time to reconsider those lines — and what lives on the other side.

Chalmers’ current work, Conifer Trees, Bark Beetles & Fire, is a deeply personal project that aims to explore the intricate relationship between beetles, wildfires, and trees, while shedding light on the broader consequences of human actions on forest ecology. By revealing both the beauty and the tragedy within these natural processes, Chalmers hopes to inspire a deeper understanding and appreciation of the complexities of environmental conservation and the vital role art plays in conveying these insights.

Catherine Chalmers holds a B.S. in Engineering from Stanford University and an M.F.A. in Painting from the Royal College of Art, London. She has exhibited her artwork around the world, including MoMA PS1, MASS MoCA, The Drawing Center, Kunsthalle Vienna, and the Today Art Museum in Beijing, among others. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Brooklyn Rail, Time Out New York, ArtNews, Artforum, and on PBS, CNN, NPR, and the BBC. Two books have been published on her work: FOOD CHAIN (Aperture, 2000) and AMERICAN COCKROACH (Aperture, 2004).

Chalmers’ video Safari won Best Experimental Short at the SXSW Film Festival in 2008. In 2010, Chalmers received a Guggenheim Fellowship, and in 2015, she was awarded a Rauschenberg Residency. Her video Leafcutters won Best Environmental Short at the 2018 Natourale Film Festival in Wiesbaden, Germany; in 2019, it received the Gil Omenn Art & Science Award at the Ann Arbor Film Festival. She lives in New York City.

Catherine Chalmers’ exhibition, Conifer Trees, Bark Beetles, and Fire, will be on view at the University of Michigan Institute for the Humanities Gallery from September 11 to October 24, 2025. An opening reception will follow her Penny Stamps Speaker Series event, taking place at the gallery from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

Presented in partnership with the University of Michigan Institute for the Humanities. This project was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan.

Series presenting partners: Detroit PBS, ALL ARTS, and PBS Books. Media partner: Michigan Public.