Serena Kovalosky: "Moving Mountains" and "Seed Journeys" Exhibition

About this event

A foraged mustard "tree" becomes a project for peace and a community-created art installation explores the cultural roots of food in Serena Kovalosky's newest exhibition opening Dec. 7 at the Slate Valley Museum in Granville, NY.

Opening receptions for "Moving Mountains: The Mustard Seed Project" featuring a "Seed Journeys" installation will be held on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Slate Valley Museum, 17 Water St., Granville, NY. The exhibition will continue through Dec. 15, 2024 and will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

"Moving Mountains" is the culmination of Kovalosky's 6-month journey placing tiny mustard seeds from around the world, one by one, on the branches of a foraged mustard "tree" as a contemplative exercise in how "impossible" goals are achieved – one tiny step (seed) at a time. The artwork was created during live open studio sessions as part of the artist's year-long residency program at the museum.

"In the face of ongoing national and international crises and conflict, I had been feeling like whatever I did no longer mattered: the challenges are so big and I'm just one artist in a small, rural town," said Kovalosky. Then she began exploring the symbolism behind the mustard seed. Two phrases kept insisting she take notice: "move mountains" and "faith the size of a mustard seed."

"Working on the mustard tree has been a great lesson in perseverance," the artist said. "I had to believe that the first tiny mustard seed I placed on a branch back in May would eventually make a difference. It didn't seem like it would at the beginning, but I just kept going. One seed. Ten seeds. Fifty seeds. It took a long time. I dropped a lot of seeds on the floor."

As Kovalosky worked in the museum studio, visitors would come by and ask questions. The conversations gave her hope.

"We are not as different as we are led to believe," said Kovalosky. "We all want to find ways to live together in peace."

The "tree" is now resplendent with thousands of yellow, brown and black mustard seeds, a visual testament to a creative process with a powerful lesson.

Kovalosky wanted visitors to not only observe her process, but to experience a parallel creative process of their own. Over eighty museum visitors, high school and university students, and young children participated in the co-creation of a "Seed Journeys" community installation by stringing dried tomatoes, corn, leeks, potatoes, beets, apples, and poppy seeds symbolizing the immigrant roots of the region. Inspired by the museum’s "The Dream and the Reality" exhibit, the finished installation juxtaposes the journeys of seeds with the stories of Welsh, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Slovak, and Latin American immigrants who sought a better life in the Slate Valley.

Glass seed beads in slate-inspired colors - red, black, green, gray, and purple - were also included in the creative process, visually honoring the region’s identity as the "colored slate capital of the world."

Over 150 eight-foot community-created strands, intertwined with immigrant stories and seed journeys from around the world and imbued with the stories and dreams of those who participated in the project, will become part of the Slate Valley Museum's permanent collection following the exhibition.

"Moving Mountains" and "Seed Journeys" will open on Dec. 7 in conjunction with the Slate Valley Museum Holiday Festival and the annual Lighting of the Christmas Tree in Granville's Veteran Park. A second opening with the artist will take place on Dec. 8. The exhibition continues through Dec. 15.

Serena Kovalosky is a sculptor and installation artist using nature as an ecological storyteller and bearer of history. Rooted in organic forms and natural materials, Kovalosky’s interdisciplinary work explores culture and human relationships through the language of plants. Kovalosky is a recipient of the 2024 Community Arts - Individual Artist grant for "Moving Mountains: The Mustard Seed Project" and recently won NYVT Media's 2024 Best of Washington County Award for Arts & Entertainment in the Artisan/Art Studio category. 

This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, administered by the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council.