A scientific illustrator, a mapmaker and a storyteller are among the artists selected to be the Artists at Pine Needles this summer.
Since 2002, the Artist at Pine Needles program has hosted more than 75 artists and writers in the historic Pine Needles cabin on the St. Croix River in Marine on St. Croix as part of a program to broaden scientific understanding through art.
Artist Natalie Deam says she is inspired by the local flora, fauna and fungi of the Midwest; this watercolor painting is called “Zea Drain.” Deam is one of five artists selected to develop new works this summer at the St. Croix Watershed Research Station in Marine on St. Croix through the 2025 Artist at Pine Needles program. (Courtesy of Natalie Deam)
Greg Seitz of Marine on St. Croix is working on a “deep map” book of the St. Croix River that “blends science, history and storytelling while elevating overlooked narratives, particularly Indigenous voices, and exploring how ecological processes impact human life,” a news release says.
For more than 15 years, Seitz has focused on the St. Croix River watershed, using writing, photography and mapping — primarily through his website St. Croix 360 — to communicate the region’s natural complexity and beauty to wide audiences, according to the news release.
The four other artists are Kristine Murphy, a scientific illustrator from Lino Lakes; Natalie Deam and Zoë Fay Stindt, a collaborative artist duo who explore the intimate relationships among humans, nonhumans and ecosystems through interdisciplinary practices; and Haley Prochnow, an artist who explores the intersections of local culture, social history and the natural environment by amplifying overlooked stories of women and underrepresented communities in the St. Croix River Valley through archival research, writing and photography.
The residency program includes a weekly stipend, travel support and the residency at the cabin, which is on St. Croix Watershed Research Station property. Artists also have access to the researchers who work at the station and at the Science Museum of Minnesota, as well as the J.W.D. Dunn Research Library and the collections vault at the Science Museum.
As part of the residency, the artists each donate an original work developed from their experience to the museum. Donated works from 2003 through 2024 are on display at the Science Museum of Minnesota.
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