In the Brushwood Gallery
The Brushwood Gallery hosts exhibitions that reflect diverse voices exploring themes on equity, justice, and the impact of nature on wellbeing.
Now on Display
April 12 – May 3
Healing Together: The Artwork of TIERRA
This exhibition features artwork created by facilitators of and participants in the TIERRA program—Transforming Internal Experiences for Resilience and Restoration through Acceptance—a research-informed, nature-based training program that supports Community Health Workers serving communities across Lake County, Illinois.
TIERRA equips Community Health Workers with tools to address the interconnected challenges of trauma, health disparities, and environmental injustice. Rooted in mindfulness, restorative practices, and the healing presence of nature, the program creates space for participants to explore their own experiences while strengthening their capacity to care for others.
Through visual art, reflection, and creative expression, participants in this program have translated their personal and professional journeys into powerful works that speak to resilience, healing, and connection to the land. The pieces on display offer insight into the inner landscapes of those working at the front lines of community health. These are individuals who navigate complex social and environmental challenges while supporting the wellbeing of others.
Created during guided sessions that integrated nature observation, contemplative practice, and artistic exploration, the artworks reflect themes of renewal, rootedness, and collective care. Plants, seasonal cycles, and the natural rhythms of the landscape serve as both inspiration and metaphor for growth and restoration.
By sharing these works with the public, the exhibition honors the vital role Community Health Workers play in building healthier, more equitable communities.
Artist of the Month
April Artist of the Month: Catherine Tully
Catherine Tully is a cyanotype artist from Des Plaines, Illinois, whose visual language is deeply shaped by more than five decades in the world of ballet. Her lifelong engagement with movement, balance, and line informs her distinctive approach to botanical cyanotypes and wet cyanotype experimentation.
Tully’s work is grounded in an attentive dialogue with the natural world, using sunlight, water, plant materials, and other substances to explore themes of impermanence, fragility, ephemeral beauty, and ecological interconnection. Her prints are marked by a dancer’s sensitivity to form and structure, paired with a willingness to explore and embrace the unpredictability of organic processes.
She currently serves as the Artist in Residence at Friendship Park Conservatory.
See Catherine’s art on display at Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods April 1 – 25, 2026.
Join Catherine for the BASE Open Art Workshop on Saturday, April 25
Image: Queen Anne’s Lace/ Wild Carrot, by Catherine Tully
Media: Cyanotype
Past Exhibitions
View Brushwood’s recent exhibitions here.
