Crossing Meridians
A solo exhibition of artwork by
Bridget Henry
Artist Statement
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I have long wondered where things go when they are lost. As a child, I imagined a place where all the missing things gathered, like a heaven for toys. As an adult, I think about it through memory and through what science reveals, how DNA can unlock stories of life, past and present. Can a fragment of DNA bring an extinct animal back to the world. Can a memory carried and shared be another way to keep presence alive.
The passing of my mother made these questions deeply personal. For this installation, I created a print of lush flowers to honor her love of gardening, then cut the shapes of the extinct Passenger Pigeons from it. I saved every scrap, cutting smaller birds and leaves, and keeping even the tiniest pieces in a jar. The process became a meditation on transition: from paper to print, to shapes, to fragments. Each piece carries its own history, from seed to tree, to paper, to print, to dust and perhaps returning to the earth to nourish and transform again.
The flock of pigeons flies toward the stars, toward the unknown, and toward transformation. This work reflects on passage and change, on what has been lost, what lingers, and what may still exist unseen.
Biography
Bridget Henry is a Santa Cruz, California based printmaker known for her bold, hand-carved woodcuts and animations. Her work explores the intersections of nature, perception, and transformation, often questioning how humans define and relate to the natural world. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she now works as a Lecturer and Staff Research Associate, managing the campus print shop and the annual UCSC Print Sale.
Henry’s prints and print animations have been exhibited nationally, including at the Portland Museum of Art in Oregon, the Museum of Art and History in Santa Cruz, the Center for Book Arts in New York City, and the Shoebox Gallery in Los Angeles. Her animated poem Omens won first place in the 2022 Deanna Tulley Multimedia Contest. She has also participated in artist residencies at Playa Summer Lake in Oregon, Blue Mountain Center in New York, and Brush Creek in Wyoming.
