I am a painter, fiber artist, and designer based in Boston, MA. My work examines the simultaneous tension and symbiosis between humans and nature. I’m specifically interested in the lesbian community’s connection to gardens and kitchens and how these spaces—where human intervention and nature collide—have historically functioned as spaces of refuge, connection, and community. My image-based work is oftentimes figurative and depicts loopy, elongated figures set in hybrid habitats of domestic interiors and plant life. I’m inspired by the words of Robin Wall Kimmerer and reflect on her definition of “species loneliness,” the deep sadness we experience as a species due to our estrangement from nature. I think about the covert ways we try and grow closer to nature through control, mirroring, or mimicking. I’m fascinated by grass lawns, potted plants, and outdoor fences that present wilderness in tame and manicured forms. Ecology, mythology, food policy, and cookbooks are my frequent areas of research and are driven by my mother’s studies in botany and nutrition. My work, at its core, is about the role of caregivers and how we, as humans, take care of other people and the living things around us.
Jayna Mikolaitis (b. 2000 in Hartford, Connecticut) received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting and in Graphic Design from Boston University. She is currently the Interim Programming and Media Manager at Boston University’s School of Visual Arts and a freelance marketing and studio assistant for creative professionals. Her experience supporting artists is shaped by here previous role as Senior Manager of Praise Shadows Art Gallery.
She was awarded Boston University’s Arts Initiative Summer Research Award for her work studying the production, cultural significance, and metaphoric applications of weaving and textile production. She presented her research in a solo exhibition at Boston University’s Center for Teaching and Learning and at the university’s annual stemposium. She was nominated for the Yale Norfolk School of Art Summer Residency program and has recently exhibited at Project Hustle Boston, Gallery 263, Boston City Hall, and NO CALL, NO SHOW.