Grizzly Watching

by Mari Jablonski

“I upcycle discarded mass-marketing publications and other waste papers, sometimes dyeing with tea or coffee, emphasizing reuse over extraction and positioning sustainability as both an ethical and aesthetic commitment. Dismantling by cutting and shredding, then reimagining via folding, hand spinning, quilling, weaving, and collage, disrupts the papers’ original authority and treats them not as neutral substrate but as records of human intention and value. Working primarily with National Park Service maps and brochures—used to categorize, manage, and navigate nature—I challenge the perception of public lands and landmarks as neatly outlined resources to be consumed, while simultaneously reflecting their vulnerability at human hands. My meticulous, labor-intensive process is for me an act of mending, affirming that stewardship requires time and care. As a quiet form of advocacy, it emphasizes the need to slow down to think more critically about how we interact with the world around us.”