Where do image making and ecology meetand how is Venus Williams involved?
Chanell Stone,Cotton Mud, 2022.
H: 50 in.
Photo: Getty Images
x W: 60 in.
Vogue: Youre clearly a very busy person.
What made you take on this project?
Chanell Stone,Cotton Mud, 2022. Inkjet print. H: 50 in. x W: 60 in. (127.00 x 152.40 cm)
What about it felt right to you?
Venus Williams:Its a real honor to host Carnegie MuseumsWidening the Lenspodcast because its really deeply moving.
Its a project that integrates art and the environment and this really beautiful, full-circle storytelling.
Justine Kurland,Forest, 1998. Inkjet print. H: 30 in. x W: 40 in. (76.20 x 101.60 cm)
Sometimes [the message] is dark, but thats what art does.
It makes us take a second look.
Sometimes it makes us uncomfortable.
Dionne Lee,Untitled, 2023. Gelatin silver print. H: 10 in. x W: 8 in. (25.40 x 20.32 cm)
Justine Kurland,Forest, 1998.
H: 30 in.
x W: 40 in.
Dionne Lee,Untitled, 2023. Gelatin silver print. H: 10 in. x W: 8 in. (25.40 x 20.32 cm)
(76.20 x 101.60 cm)
What was your relationship to the outdoors growing up?
How has your personal relationship to nature evolved over time?
I actually have a hard time being indoors.
Venus Williams recordingWidening the Lensin May
Most people wake up in the morning, get in their cars or whatever, and go to work.
I wake up and go work outdoors.
So I really relate to this kind of storytelling.
Melissa Catanese,Fever fields (California poppies, hands, seabirds, sun),2021, 2023. Pigment, carbon, and cyanotype prints on hand-waxed washi paper. H: 144 in. x W: 192 in. (365.76 x 487.68 cm)
Were not examining it in this kind of way.
Dionne Lee,Untitled, 2023.
H: 10 in.
x W: 8 in.
What have you learned from those experiences, and what have you applied to this new relationship with Carnegie?
I never really saw myself getting involved in this way, but it happened kind of organically.
Im so grateful to be in this position and part of something I truly love.
Venus Williams recordingWidening the Lensin May
The format of this, as a podcast, is really unique.
What has been your favorite part of that?
Its the kind of podcast where you just cant stop listening.
I had not thought of it or seen it that way.
Its interesting the powerful effect those photographs had on peoples lives and the landscape.
Melissa Catanese,Fever fields (California poppies, hands, seabirds, sun),2021, 2023.
Pigment, carbon, and cyanotype prints on hand-waxed washi paper.
H: 144 in.
x W: 192 in.
(365.76 x 487.68 cm)
What are you hoping people take away from this project?
Who are you hoping to connect with most?
At the end, its aboutusits not just about the artists.
Its really capturing every person and our experience on this planet.
That feels like what the notion of widening the lens is all about.
Perfect title, right?
This conversation has been edited and condensed.
