Transformative Soil: Terra Firma, artist Cynthia Wagner

The city of Huntsville is always in a continuous state of becoming what it will next be in context with what it has been in the past. This eleven-panel photography based digital collage art piece incorporates into the work vintage and contemporary images of interesting people, events, objects, folk lore and flora and fauna connected with the city.
The use of a limited color palette in the piece provides cohesiveness and the native warm red and brown colors in the piece speak to connections with the land and native soil around us since Huntsville’s beginning in 1805. The soil is an important part of the underlying identity of the city and our place in the Southern United States and represents our physical connection to the more than 500 square miles of the city (Alabama’s largest city in area). Huntsville originally attracted settlers to the area because of its rich soils and abundant clean water.
There is a sense of timelessness about this piece that inspires reflection on our community and its memorable sense of place and an identity unique to Huntsville. It is designed to inspire a sense of community and our connections to our past and future and to our land. The images are a reminder of who and what made and makes up Huntsville then and now. Everything is interconnected over time and built upon things of the past and projecting out into the future. The soil from which Huntsville has sprouted has brought us so many good things including the U.S. Space Program, our local universities, the citizens of Huntsville, our commercial enterprises and private dwellings, the visual arts and music and dance, our churches and civic organizations and our abundance of outdoor recreation. City hall gives us a chance to celebrate all these things together.
About the Artist:
Cynthia Wagner, a multidisciplinary artist, delves into the intricate internal landscapes and stories of the collective human experience. Her artistic repertoire spans painting, collage, sculpture, and photography, creating a rich tapestry of creativity.
Wagner holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the Herron School of Art and Design, Indiana University Indianapolis. Her art has been showcased at prestigious venues such as the A.I.R Gallery in Brooklyn, NY, the Montgomery Museum of Art, the Huntsville Museum of Art, the Wiregrass Museum of Art, and the LaGrange Museum of Art. Originally from Colorado, Wagner now calls Huntsville, Alabama, home.