(Palo Alto, CA) - A new group exhibition at the Palo Alto Art Center titled “Fire Transforms,” opens September 17th and features artwork surrounding the “megafires” of California. Participating artists will interpret how fire’s transformative power works through its cycles of destruction and creativity. Artist Jonah Ward has been asked to create an immersive installation in the Glass Gallery, a separate room within the art center.

This exhibition will be guest curated by Rina C. Faletti, Ph.D., founding curator of Art Responds. Faletti has been wanting to do this show for almost four years but had to postpone due to pandemic restrictions.

"I have had Jonah Ward on my curatorial radar for many years. The way he works with natural materials, and focuses on the most important environmental issues today, has always intrigued me," Faletti explained. "I was looking for the right exhibition for him, and when I was able to offer him the opportunity to create a full scale, immersive installation in his own gallery space, I knew I had found it."

Jonah has titled his immersive experience “Born from within the Burning Forest” where visitors will walk through a “forest” of burned paper tree forms that will hang from the ceiling. Lighting from above will Illuminate delicate skeletal sculptures made of strands of clear glass contained within the trees, giving the feeling of empowered fragility. The surrounding walls will be covered in burned wood veneers and charred forest duff will cover the floors where morel mushrooms will be sprouting from the base of each tree.

“I feel the serendipity of events that has led us to this crossroad is unmistakable. All the connections, from the Glass Fire, the title of the show, the name of the gallery, my artistic perspective, I truly feel this was meant to be,” Jonah explained.

The show opens September 17 and goes until December 10, 2022. The center is located at 1313 Newell Road in Palo Alto, CA. If you’d like to learn more about the show, please visit the show’s website here.