Liz Chilsen of Forest Park, manager of exhibitions and collections at the Elmhurst Art Museum, also curator, explains the first entrance room of the Elmhurst Art Museum’s “Sustenance & Land: Five Artists Consider Our Relationship with the Earth” exhibition.. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

If you would like to visit an art exhibition literally down to Earth, then experience artwork that does not require getting your hands dirty with actual soil.

The Elmhurst Art Museum’s “Sustenance & Land: Five Artists Consider Our Relationship with the Earth” exhibition explores the relationship with the Earth through April 27 at 150 Cottage Hill Ave. in Elmhurst.

Artists featured include Chunbo Zhang of Schaumburg, Lydia Cheshewalla of Skiatook, Oklahoma, Tomiko Johnson of Madison, Wisconsin, Claire Pentecost of Pilsen and a collaboration between Barbara Ciurej of Rogers Park and Lindsay Lochman, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Themes include proper nutrition, the cultural relationship to food, scientific findings, holistic spirituality, history and the hope for the future. Humor and creativity are part of the journey, guiding viewers on a discovery of how these artists interpret humanity’s interaction with the Earth.

The exhibition is curated by Liz Chilsen of Forest Park, manager of exhibitions and collections at the Elmhurst Art Museum.

Claire Pentecost (center) of Pilsen discusses with colleagues. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

“What we’re hoping for is that people have a multi-varied perspective on the issues about climate change, our relationship to the land, our relationship to the Earth,” Chilsen said.

The exhibition launches in an introductory room that poses questions for people to think about such as, “When was the last time you smelled soil?”

To answer that was the first collection encounter by artist Claire Pentecost, who gathered soil samples in jars and colorful containers. The aroma of soil was evident for visitors with a working sense of smell near Pentecost’s works.

“This is a collection of apothecary jars and paraphernalia,” Pentecost said. “They’re all labeled as to the origin of the soil. I’m making a connection between healthy soil and healthy bodies.”

Artist Barbara Ciurej (left) of Rogers Park visits with artist Chunbo Zhang of Schaumburg. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

Then next room featured the combined works of Barbara Ciurej and Lindsay Lochman. In the adjacent space were installations by Chunbo Zhang.

For Zhang, American food is portrayed such as pastries, burgers and lasagna.

“The impulse to create this body of work,” Zhang said, “… came from my difficulty to digest American dairy products.”

Zhang said the art pieces allowed the artist to, “explore, reflect my anxiety to adapt to American culture using food as a subject matter.”

Food and industrial landscapes were components in the collaboration between Lochman and Ciurej.

“The genesis of the work came from when both Lindsay and I were raising children, reading (food) labels, and trying to figure out the health benefits and downsides of various foods,” Ciurej said.

Cheshewalla and Johnson shared the last room. On one side of the room was projected vibrant artwork by Cheshewalla and on the opposite side were wall pieces and mixed media by Johnson.

Artist Lydia Cheshewalla of Skiatook, Oklahoma. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

“I hope the message that people take away is that we’re allowed to slow down, to really look at the world around us, to sense our relationship with it,” Cheshewalla said.

Johnson said with a smile, “Lydia and I were just standing here talking about how much we love sharing this space because of the things in our work that are realized in different practices but are very much rooted in just kind of our love and care for the landscape.”

Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Elmhurst Art Museum Allison Peters Quinn said, “‘Sustenance & Land’ is a timely exhibition offering a meaningful reflection on the relationship between art, the land and sustainability.

“By exploring how landscapes are shaped by human interaction, cultural beliefs, and ecological shifts, these artists highlight the urgency of addressing the environmental crisis through creative expression,” Peters Quinn said.

“The exhibition connects contemporary concerns about our food production, care, and climate change with artistic practices, fostering a deeper understanding of the natural world and our impact on it.”

Earth Day is Tuesday, April 22. The exhibition opened Jan. 25 and runs through April 27.

Visit https://elmhurstartmuseum.org/.