Opening Reception: Windows in the Church of Nature by Tom Dakin

This exhibit reflects a journey of unintentional self-awareness. It began years ago with a deck of cards offering insights into behavior, using nature’s inhabitants as both examples and teachers. From there, Tom Dakin designed and executed cross-stitch patterns of animals, later experimenting with beading before moving between media and creating new designs. About six years ago, the muse prompted a shift to glass, and the work has evolved ever since. The show is a fusion of mosaic, petroglyph, cave painting, and prairie school, seasoned with elements of fantasy. Many of the totems represented hold personal meaning for the artist, yet all carry significance after all, even an ant casts a shadow. Dakin hopes viewers will recall the fleeting joy of seeing a hawk or eagle sweep overhead, or the quiet wonder of speaking to a deer and imagining, just for a moment, that it understands. While anthropomorphism can be taken too far, recognizing the positive traits of other beings and choosing to emulate them is at the heart of this “Church.”