About the Exhibition

Ann Chadwick Reid’s cut paper artwork is as fragile as the environment, and intended to address the impact of human activities on whole ecosystems, as well as individual species, with a challenge for communities to initiate and support conversations that lead to just cooperation and sustainable solutions.

Reid’s exhibition, Habitat, is an effort to share with viewers the complexity and beauty of a single ecosystem, the Garry Oak (Quercus garryana) habitat which is sometimes defined as a meadow, prairie, grassland or woodland landscape. The remarkable diversity of species that are found in this environment reflect it’s enormous value to the region.

About the Artist

Originally from Eastern Washington, Ann now lives on the peninsula of Samish Island in rural Skagit County. Her inspiration comes from this rural landscape wedged between the Cascade Mountains and the Salish Sea. Her work reflects an interest in environmental challenges to native habitats in this intertidal region and across the Northwest. After completing graduate courses at Washington State University and receiving a MA from Eastern Washington University she joined the tenured faculty at Skagit Valley College in 1986 teaching in the art department for twenty-two years. Ann also served on the Boards of the Anacortes Arts Festival, Artists Trust and Anchor Art Space. Since retiring in 2008 she has worked full time in her studio, exhibiting throughout Washington, Idaho, Oregon and California. She received an Artist Trust GAP grant in 2010, attended the Brush Creek Ranch Residency in Wyoming in 2017 and was granted a SOLA award by Artist Trust in 2023. She is a member of both Northwest Designer Craftartists and Earth Creative art collectives. Her work can be seen in the collections of Kent City Hall, Kent, WA, Island Hospital in Anacortes WA, Skagit Regional Clinics, Mount Vernon,WA, and the King County Public Art Collection. Ann also participates as a citizen scientist surveying beach debris for NOAA and monitoring Great Blue Heron for a Heron Foraging Study.