Plant Line: A Visual List of Plants in the Great Swamp

In conjunction with the exhibition Matt Jensen: Park Wonder, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey invited artists, students, and citizens to participate in a collaborative exhibition in the Art Center’s Strolling Gallery. A New York-based artist, Jensen spent several months exploring four historic northern New Jersey parks and landscapes—Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook Unit, Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Watchung Reservation and the Passaic River waterway—in preparation for this exhibition that incorporates photographs, sculptures, artifacts and historical research.

During his research for the show, the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge staff provided a list of plants found in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge with over 500 different types. Artists were asked to create a work based on the flora of the Great Swamp in Northern New Jersey on paper measuring 3 inches by 3 inches, roughly the size of a Post-It note. Over 125 works were included in the final installation.