Burlington, VT — The Fleming Museum of Art at the University of Vermont presents the exhibition Rooted in Nature: Collecting Histories at UVM on view from February 4 through May 17, 2025. 

From a photograph of a snowflake to a photogravure Naga with gold leaf, works tracing the history and growth of the Fleming’s Collections invite you to consider how artists engage with the natural world, how collections shape knowledge, and how art offers diverse perspectives on our living world. 

Wilson A. “Snowflake” Bentley’s Four Cloud Studies, Bentley Farm hangs alongside Saya Woolfalk’s Encyclopedia of Cloud Divination (Plate 3); both explore the significance of clouds yet demonstrate different approaches and processes. Together, the works of Rooted in Nature span the 19th through 21st centuries, providing insights into the changing methodologies and academic inquires of the times, while revealing the ever-present desire of humans to explore, understand, and celebrate our natural world. 

Colorful and abstract depiction of a figure emerging from plants and clouds.
Saya Woolfalk (United States, b. 1979) Encyclopedia of Cloud Divination (Plate 3), 2019. Archival inkjet, screen print, silver leaf, collage on paper. Museum purchase, Way Fund. 2020.17

This exhibition was organized by the Fleming Museum of Art, University of Vermont and generously supported by the Kalkin Family Exhibitions Fund and the Charles Earle Fund. Rooted in Nature: Collecting Histories at UVM was curated by Kristan M. Hanson, PhD, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, Margaret Tamulonis, Manager of Collections and Exhibitions, and Zoe Alpert (’25) Collections and Curatorial Intern. 

Fleming Museum of Art 

The University of Vermont’s Fleming Museum of Art has brought world-class art to UVM and the heart of Burlington, VT since 1931. With over 24,000 works and growing within its collections, the Museum serves as an extension of the classroom that centers interdisciplinary inquiry and study. Each year, thousands of students, faculty, and visitors from across the globe explore the galleries, engage with new exhibitions, and enjoy a range of community events. Learn more at uvm.edu/fleming. 

Painting featured in cover: Morston Constantine Ream United States, 1840–1898 Peaches, 1875–1881. Oil on canvas. Gift of Dr. George L. Peaslee, in memory of Ellen Fletcher 1885.1.4