The ISM's art exhibition program expands with a new postgraduate position

In February, the ISM staff enjoyed a lunchtime field trip to the Yale Peabody Museum to visit an exhibit presented by their colleague, Anesu Nyamupingidza, the ISM’s art exhibitions postgraduate associate. The exhibit explores the origin of spices from roots, seeds, fruits, and flowers. It utilizes herbarium specimen from the Peabody’s botany collection as well as dried plant specimen collected at Marsh Botanical Garden. 

Anesu is the inaugural exhibitions postgraduate associate. She began her role in August of 2024 and since then, her time has been split between the ISM and the Peabody Museum. 

At the ISM, her work in religion and the arts has mostly focused on coordinating exhibitions that explore the intersection of religion and ecology. So far there have been three exhibitions in Miller Hall. Biophilia: In Excelsis, an exhibit curated by M. Annenberg and with works by twenty-two artists, centered on the theme of sacred ecosystems, including oceans and forests, and their imminent transformation due to increased global warming. Take Me As I Am: Redemption And Grace for the Discarded by Lance Flowers highlighted the fight to preserve Houston’s historic Third Ward neighborhood. The current exhibit, Symphonia: Dialogues of Landscape, Ritual and Resilience by Chicago-based artists Joanne Aono, Karen Azarnia, Jon Seals, and Michelle Wasson, explores the profound and intricate intersections of religious, ecological, and expressive themes. Anesu is currently working on a new exhibit that will open on March 26, Noah’s Garden: The Porcelain Worlds of Svetlozar Parmakov. Read more about past and upcoming ISM art exhibits

At the Peabody Museum, Anesu has furthered her experience in object selection, narrative development, community engagement, and exhibition installations. The exhibit on spices is the culmination of her work there so far. Learn more about the Peabody Museum. 

Originally from Zimbabwe, Anesu earned her bachelor’s degree in visual studies at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University, where she excelled in a research-based art practice that focused on natural environments. In June 2024, she curated Rondo at The Center for Emerging Visual Artists in Philadelphia, exploring ochre pigments, and their significance on people and place, through the process of forging and paint making. 

For more information on the ISM’s exhibit programming, email Eben Graves.