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a literary journal published by the Black Earth Institute dedicated to re-forging the links between art and spirit, earth and society

Jillian McDonald


Deep Fear

colored pencil drawing of a hole in the earth isolated on a white background. the hole resembles a sinkhole or an opening in the ceiling of a cave, with roots spilling over the edges and rocky areas in the space below.
coloured pencil crayon on paper, 22″ × 30″, 2021


Deep State

a brown hole drawn in colored pencil, isolated on a white background. the hole appears to recede into the earth but has a spiraling, tornado-like quality to it as it reveals layers of earth and a dark void below.
coloured pencil crayon on paper, 22″ × 30″, 2021


Deep Dive

a blue hole drawn with colored pencil, isolated on white paper. the hole is blue and resembles a hole in thick ice, with a dark void in the area beyond the ice.
coloured pencil crayon on paper, 22″ × 30″, 2021


Animals on the Verge

a dark, rocky hole in the earth, drawn in colored pencil, isolated on white paper. a realistic 3D deer (augmented reality figure) stands at the edge of the hole. there is an area of swirly pink in the hole near the deer.
video still, augmented reality animation on drawing, 33 minutes, 2022–2024

 

McDonald’s deep holes in earth and ice might at first seem like harmless fissures or burrows found in nature, but could alternately be portents of ecological disaster. Removed from their context, they float on white paper like otherworldly passages or tunnels, portals or entryways, escape hatches or traps.

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Jillian McDonald is a visual artist in Brooklyn and Troy, NY, and a professor of art at Pace University. Recent exhibitions and screenings were held at Undercurrent, Spectral Lines, and Harvestworks in New York; AxeNéo7 in Québec; aCinema in Milwaukee; Philip Steele Gallery in Denver; and The Esker Foundation in Calgary. A CBC IDEAS documentary profiles her videos, which were also reviewed in The New York Times and Canadian Art. Critical discussion appears in The Transatlantic Zombie by Sarah Lauro and Deconstructing Brad Pitt, edited by Christopher Schaberg. Awards include a video/film fellowship form from NYFA, grants from The Canada Council for the Arts, and residencies at Wave Farm in Acra, NY, The Arctic Circle Art and Science Expedition in Svalbard, The Headlands Center for the Arts in California, Sporobole in Québec, the Glenfiddich Canadian Art Prize in Scotland, and The Banff Center for the Arts in Canada.

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