Lillian Luft’s exhibition Deliberate Acts is inspired by river ecology and the environmental consequences of the 19th-century pearl button industry. Her richly detailed, research-based work examines how a ravenous desire for mother-of-pearl led to the near collapse of native mussel ecoculture. Having eagerly worked with mother-of-pearl as a metalsmith and jeweler, Luft was drawn to develop a personal relationship with freshwater mussels as a volunteer conservationist. The body of work that has emerged from this experience poignantly evokes mussels’ bodies and the spaces they inhabit, inspiring empathy and giving voice to these unsung and vulnerable creatures.
