By Levi McGarry, WSU Insider
The November First Friday ArtWalk in Spokane featured the latest work by WSU faculty member Io Palmer, “Foxgloves and Swarms”, displayed within the recently renovated Medicine Building at 668 N Riverpoint Boulevard on the Washington State University Spokane campus.
The installation features thousands of hand-formed ceramic and wood pieces shaped into abstract flowers and leaves wired together and mounted with metal braces. The three-piece ceramic mural was developed by Palmer in conjunction with assistants Kassie Smith and Siri Stensberg and was inspired by traditional medicinal plant knowledge and existing health disparities.
“I started doing research on plants as medicine,” said Palmer, who teaches in and coordinates the Ceramics and 3D Foundations programs in the WSU Department of Art. “The foxglove form — not only is it gorgeous, but foxgloves can help heal the heart, but too much of it can poison you. I wanted to explore that dual metaphor of the foxglove, based on these notions of health, healing and the cyclical journey of life.”
While preparing the artwork, Palmer received a 2023 Fellowship Award from the Artist Trust, a Washington state-based nonprofit organization that works to support and elevate artists as “community leaders who keep Washington State vibrant.” The merit-based Fellowship Awards are conferred annually to practicing professional artists in any discipline who reside in Washington and demonstrate exceptional talent and ability.
Originally trained as a ceramicist, Palmer uses mixed-media sculpture to give voice to complex issues of class structure and capitalism. She uses a variety of processes and materials to create large-scale works that aim to evoke investigation and inspiration for those who encounter them.
“That’s what I love about public art—people live with it,” says Palmer. “The medical students, the faculty, the staff, they will go past it every day. There’s some part of their day where they see it, and I love having my work live with people and be part of someone’s day.”
Palmer has had art exhibitions at the Boise Art Museum, the Dakar-International Arts Biennial, the Rush Gallery, the Portland International Airport, and others.