CofC Grads Selected for National Park Service's 'Artist in Park'

by Delaney Gladson

^{Above: The exhibition features objects directly from nature.}

The majestic mountains and luscious forests of the South Carolina state parks are nothing short of awe-inspiring. It’s easy to see how such a landscape could move someone to pick up a paintbrush and start creating.

For recent College of Charleston studio art graduates Hayes Martini ’26 and Ella Waldron-Noren ’26, their art works became a part of the parks themselves last spring, when they were selected to participate in the National Park Service’s Artist in Park program.

The program focuses on the unique beauty of South Carolina historic parks and gives artists the opportunity to create pieces directly inspired by the landscape through immersive, on-site engagement.

For their project, Martini and Waldron-Noren were inspired by the relationship between the passage of time and the adaptation of the parks.

“Our work fits within this theme by exploring national parks as spaces where history and nature continue to shape each other over time,” Martini explains. “We focused on Fort Moultrie, Fort Sumter and Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, paying attention to details such as weathered surfaces, shifting light and the way nature exists within these manmade spaces.”

During their time at Fort Moultrie, for example, they paid special attention to the barn swallows, which had begun to build their nests within the structures of the park. 

Naturally Inspired

When it came to creating the art, Waldron-Noren took straight from the land itself, collecting small natural items such as driftwood and shells.

“The foundation of my body of work includes the act of collecting natural objects, allowing me to use their pure, simplified forms in my sculptures,” says Waldron-Noren, who then takes these materials and integrates them into her art, either using them for clay imprints or directly placing them within the work itself. “I limit my sculptures to be mostly composed of unpainted, unfired clay. By doing so, they reveal the hidden complexities of the natural objects that often go unnoticed, highlighting the preciousness that these otherwise simple objects hold for me.”

The preciousness that she has found in the natural world is something that fuels and shapes much of Waldron-Noren’s artistic work – especially with this project.

“I have a very intimate connection with Fort Moultrie, especially the natural areas of Sullivan’s Island,” she explains. “I grew up exploring its beaches with my family, and now I frequent its large expanse of maritime forest.”

Natural Selection

In order to be chosen for the residency, students must submit a proposal that includes samples of their work. While professors are allowed to recommend students, they cannot directly choose them. That decision is left to the National Park Service jury, who goes through each application and reviews them thoroughly.

“It is wonderful to have two students chosen this year,” comments Susan Klein, chair and professor of the College of Charleston Department of Studio Art. “Hayes and Ella have had the opportunity to conduct their own research and make their own work. They have also learned how to collaborate on work as well, which is a huge benefit to having two artists rather than one.”

The exhibition – which was on display for four weeks at the Simons Center for the Arts – was the last Martini and Waldron-Noren did as College of Charleston undergraduates.

“We were really grateful and excited to be chosen for the residency,” says Martini. “Being able to end our time here with a project that combined research, collaboration and installation made the experience feel very full circle.”

Follow Hayes Martini @hayesmartiniart and Ella Waldron-Noren @her.lowest.springtide on Instagram.

Delaney Gladson is a junior communication major at the College of Charleston.