Those walking around the Sehome Hill Arboretum lately may have noticed a sculpture of a woman with her arms crossed, cradling small pieces of nature, perched atop a small boulder. The artist behind the piece is Ilana Toran, a freshman at Western Washington University.
Toran dedicated countless hours to creating the sculpture as part of an assignment for one of her art classes. She has spent much of her life working with different artistic mediums, including painting, drawing and other forms of creative expression.
However, this sculpture serves a purpose beyond a simple class project.
The piece is made from an environmentally-friendly clay designed to blend back into the earth over time. It symbolizes the connection between humans and nature and the importance of working in harmony with the environment.
“I wanted to do something that represents how a lot of Indigenous people think about nature and how we should work hand in hand with it,” Toran said.
Toran’s plan is to leave the sculpture in place, allowing it to naturally erode and merge with the landscape. “I had this idea to do something that would dissolve into the land after I was finished making it, and the first material that came to mind was clay,” Toran said. “Because I can sculpt with it, it comes from the earth, and it can happily go back into the earth.”
The sculpture, titled “where the earth was held as whole,” will remain in the arboretum until nature takes its course, leaving behind only the message it was meant to convey.
Toran hopes that those who come across the piece take a moment to reflect on their own relationship with the environment. She believes art has the power to inspire change and encourage people to be more mindful of their impact on the natural world.
As the seasons change and the sculpture slowly disappears, its message will continue to resonate, serving as a reminder of the delicate balance between humanity and the earth.
