Nancy Winship Milliken (Charlotte, Vermont, b. 1962– )
In collaboration with Eliot Hays Lothrop (Huntington, Vermont, b. 1978– )
Meadow Breath, 2021–22
Charred wood post and beam, raw white New England wool, fishing net, and hardware                                        
Courtesy of the artist

Meadow Breath gives form to the invisible as wind breathes new life into a woven net of local raw wool. Evocative of a flock of sheep grazing in a field, the wool in the sculpture moves by expanding and contracting with direction from the wind. Over time, Meadow Breath will change its form in response to the natural elements, from tonal shifts caused the sunlight peeking through tufts of wool to textural evolutions from the felting action of rain and wind. Through its adaptation to place, Meadow Breath is a reminder of how humankind has influenced and forever altered our natural environment, from the changing climate to expanding urban development. More specifically, according to Winship Milliken, Meadow Breath “references one important stage of the natural history of New England—largely forested areas converted to open agricultural landscape for sheep grazing—and it opens a conversation about the sustainable future of these landscapes.”

Winship Milliken has worked closely with raw wool for more than a decade, gathering it from local farmers. The artist refers to wool as a “material of the commons” due to its humble yet resilient and ample characteristics. Inspired by wool’s varied textures and fragrance, Winship Milliken built Meadow Breath through a meditative dance of repetitive weaving motions.

View process images of this work here:

See More from Nancy Winship Milliken: Varied and Alive