Art Exhibition Celebration: Clade by Dar James

Clade is the latest exhibition from artist Dar James. As an artist, writer and educator, Dar James explores color, the interplay of opposites, connections to nature and personal experiences, and more. Join us to celebrate this exhibition, meet the artist and learn more about her artistic process and inspiration. Clade is on display in the Welcome Center through June 22.

About the Exhibition:

A clade is a family of living things that share a common ancestor, like branches of a tree. All plants, both wild and cultivated, trace back to a shared origin, each seedling carrying echoes of the past while reaching for something new. An artist’s work follows a similar path. Early influences form the roots, while each creation branches outward, evolving yet always connected. Some paths transform, others stay rooted, but all are part of the same unfolding story.

Through vibrant color and intricate marks, Dar James brings trees to life as symbols of strength, growth, and connection. Layering acrylics, papers, and thousands of hand-placed dots, she creates luminous, textured works. This process has become her distinctive style, which is decidedly joyful and rich with rhythm, movement and metaphor that reimagines nature as a playful tapestry, where branches stretch like unfolding stories and roots connect the hidden threads of memory and time.