Kindred Spirits is a journey into seeing and honoring animals in death, tending to them with love, and recognizing them as kin. Through paintings, photographs, writing, sculpture and installation, Amanda Stronza, Rachel Ivanyi, and Hannah Salyer find beauty in stillness and create art from loss. All who share in the circles of life, death, and renewal are invited to join in showing respect, and finding connection and catharsis.
Upcoming Exhibition:
Ironwood Gallery
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Tucson, AZ
April 26th – July 13th, 2025
Artist Talk
4-5 PM, Friday, April 25th, 2025
Opening Reception
5-7 PM, Friday, April 25th, 2025
Past Exhibition:
Underland Gallery
Brooklyn, NY
July 22 – September 22, 2022
Kindred Spirits at Ironwood Gallery
We invite you to join us for a gathering of art, community, and love for animals in the beautiful Sonoran Desert this April. The three of us, Amanda Stronza, Hannah Salyer, and Rachel Ivanyi, have been devoting our hearts and time to this collection of sculptures, photographs, paintings, and writing for many months. It is a celebration of our connection with animal others, our reflections on the circles of life and death, and an exploration of how grief can be interwoven with our search for catharsis and renewal.
“Kindred Spirits: Honoring Animals in Death” will open in the beautiful, light-filled Ironwood Gallery of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, AZ, the evening of April 25, 2025.
The three of us will be in attendance, Amanda traveling from Texas, Hannah from New York, and Rachel who lives in Arizona, to talk about the art and the lives of animals, on which the work is centered. The wonderful poet and writer, Alison Hawthorne Deming, will join us as well for a discussion, introducing her forthcoming book, “The Gift of Animals: Poems of love, loss, and connection.”
We have crafted the show to be an immersive experience. Imagine a journey into seeing and honoring animals in death, tending to them with love, and recognizing them as kin. The gallery will include a quiet space for reflection.
Our vision for Kindred Spirits aligns deeply with the Desert Museum’s mission to inspire appreciation, understanding, and conservation of the Sonoran Desert’s natural beauty and biodiversity. We are so honored to be partnering with them.
Kindred Spirits will run through July 13, 2025. We hope to see you there!
Kindred Spirits at Underland Gallery
Curated by Hannah Salyer, a fellow artist, illustrator, and author, who worked in careful collaboration with Amanda and Rachel to design and enmesh interactive elements of this multifaceted show.
The Moo Ampapatshara, a NY based floral artist, designed the floral elements for the exhibit, and created a site-specific shrine that will go through its own life cycle.
Meet the Artists
Amanda Stronza
Amanda Stronza is an anthropologist, professor, conservationist, and photographer based in Austin, Texas. She is passionate about animals and the people who live closest to wild animals all over the world.
Rachel Ivanyi
Rachel Ivanyi is an award-winning conservation artist, art educator, and illustrator, with a background in zoology and scientific illustration. Based in Tucson, Arizona, her art lives in the hope that people look closer, feel deeper, and make positive change in their lives and in the lives of others.
Hannah Salyer
Hannah Salyer’s deep reverence for the natural world was fostered while growing up on the east coast of the US. She brings that wonderment to her work as an award-winning illustrator, author, educator, mixed media artist and gallery director. Her work hones in on the inextricable bonds that tie humans to the lives of the other creatures with whom we share our planet.
Contact
Interested in hosting Kindred Spirits at your gallery or institution?
Amanda Stronza
Rachel Ivanyi
Hannah Salyer
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