Heather McMordie:

This exhibition includes a selection of prints from the The Providence Community Herbarium, a collaborative project conducted by Heather McMordie and twelve Providence, Rhode Island residents. While a traditional herbarium is a collection of dried, labeled, and organized plant specimens collected for scientific and academic use, this collection uses printmaking to create a creative, relational, and accessible record of the plants that fill our lives.

These prints were completed in March 2024, just a few months before McMordie relocated to Arlington, Virginia, and over the past six months, McMordie has frequently looked for—and found—evidence of these plant species in her new home. This exhibition invites residents of Arlington to explore the stories of plant species from a state 350 miles away that can also be found in their own parks and backyards. From native plants like Skunk Cabbage, to non-native plants such as Queen Anne’s Lace, these prints map out the stories of plants we encounter in the city around us, and the spaces and purposes they occupy in our lives.