Artist Lecture | April Surgent: Exploring Climate Change in Glass

SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING: There are images of deceased animals and animals in distress due to ecological impacts. These images are for educational purposes.
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April Surgent discusses the inspiration behind her new commission "Outliving Glaciers" for University Museums permanent collection, her unique expression of environmental change through cameo engraved glass, and experiences participating in several prestigious research fellowships.

Surgent was a recipient of the National Science Foundation Antarctic Writers and Artists Program in 2013, was the first artist in residence with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program, and assisted with a 2019 United States Geological Survey (USGS) led research study in Alaska. These research trips have yielded a range of imagery that she later records on glass when she returns to her studio. Surgent uses her cameo engravings to document the world as it is in this moment, as the loss of natural habitats and environmental impacts due to climate change escalates.

"Outliving Glaciers," 2023 by April Surgent, is made of cameo engraved glass. Commissioned by University Museums as a gift in memory of Lori A. Jacobson from Jason D. Kogan. In the permanent collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. UM2023.199

This lecture hosted in partnership with the Iowa State University Geological and Atmospheric Sciences Department.

More on April Surgent: https://www.aprilsurgent.com

University Museums: https://www.museums.iastate.edu

Chapters:
00:00 Welcome and Introductions
05:07 Lecture Begins
05:31 Background and Beginnings
18:09 Interest in Climate Change Begins
19:28 Antarctica
22:39 Photography
25:09 Why Glass
25:43 Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program
40:18 The Commission: "Outliving Glaciers"
46:51 What Do We Do About Climate Change?
48:51 Q & A