The Grass Has So Little to Do

Upper Gallery
July 11 - September 12, 2026

Exhibition Catalogue

“Taking its title from Emily Dickinson’s poem ‘The Grass so little has to do,’ this exhibition considers close attention to the natural world in an age of distraction and anxiety. Dickinson’s ability to find wonder in the smallest details offers a lens through which to consider artists who engage the natural world through sustained acts of looking, remembering, noticing, and imagining.”

Deborah Goodman Davis, curator

“And then, in Sovereign Barns to dwell—
And dream the Days away,
The Grass so little has to do
I wish I were a hay—”

Emily Dickinson

“Just as Dickinson’s poems seem to be simple and plainspoken at first encounter, Dodd’s images also appear to be simple and plainspoken, but, like the poems, they reveal complexities and subtleties of meaning, evidence of an unfailing ability to discover nuance and the unexpected in the everyday and familiar."

Karen Wilkin

“This is plein-air painting taken to a new level... Katz does not paint even a sliver of sky; there is a feeling of being hemmed in, but it is never oppressive.”

John Yau

“We are part of the natural world and our identity is completely attached to our relationship to our habitat and animals. I am making images for things I think merit attention. It’s a quieter way.”

Kiki Smith