Jes Booth

I view art and craft as a bridge between humanity and the natural world. Craft in the past has been inherently tied to the geological location. The materials that surrounded the artist reflected the work that they were able to make. My art practice, as a craft and nature-based sculptor, has been about starting to reengage with this practice. My practice is about looking at the world around me to find the beauty in everyday nature to create works that inspire people to move outside of our increasingly technology based lives and engage with craft practices to interact with the natural world. I often use objects and symbols from nature to illustrate narratives and ideas of home, safety, healing, and the interconnectedness of our world. Trees have been a central figure in articulating these ideas. During my time working on my master’s degree, I started researching Pando because of my general interest in mycelium networks. The interconnected root system of Pando perfectly articulated the idea that everything on this planet is interconnected. As I researched more on Pando, I found the scale and age to be impressive, and that something that monumental was just in Utah’s backyard was difficult to comprehend. That research inspired me to visit the tree several times at different seasons to see and experience Pando fully.