We are thrilled to welcome the works of artist Helen Hoffelt to the sanctuary this month. Helen is a Columbus artist known for her photography that explores environmental issues and the symbiotic relationships between nature and humanity. Her show at St. Stephen’s draws from three series, and reflects her care for creation and for the people of this planet.

Helen Hoffelt—Image Statements

Anthropogenic Series (photographed in Ecuador), digital prints with encaustic and mixed media.

Devastation and destruction have befallen both Ecuador’s environment and the country’s indigenous peoples. Wide-scale deforestation, polluted groundwater, and thousands of oil spills have accompanied the oil exploration, drilling, and the transport of that oil via pipeline over the Andes and to the Pacific coast. It is estimated that approximately 59% of the primary rainforest has been destroyed during the last 30 years. Indigenous mortality rates in the Amazon coincide with oil extraction and deforestation both in time and percentage of loss. My images focused on the indigenous children of the rainforest because they are impacted most of all.

Shattered Series (photographed in Southeastern Ohio), digital prints with encaustic and mixed media.

Cars and trucks release about 1.5 billion tons of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) into the atmosphere each year—mostly in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2)—contributing to global climate change. Each gallon of gasoline burned creates 20 pounds of GHGs. That’s roughly 5 to 9 tons of GHG each year for a typical vehicle. Photographs of shattered glass from local junkyards are combined with photographs from Wayne National Forest.
Tree Bones Series (photographed in Olympic National Forest, Washinton), digital prints with encaustic and mixed media.
In parts of the rainforest, the forest is so thick that new trees grow on top of decaying trees. The fallen trees are called nurse trees. This inspired the series, Tree Bones, a metaphor for how we nurture the land and future generations.

Intrusion Series (photographed in Cleveland, Ohio), digital prints with Kozo and abaca.

This work signifies the many ways environment and humanity overlap and are entwined. The precarious position of the natural world is metaphorically pegged to the branches in an attempt to stabilize and slow environmental destruction.