Location:
McKnight Art Center West
School of Art, Design and Creative Industries
Room 210

Artist Talk 
Thursday, April 2 | 2:30 p.m.

Join us for a special Artist Talk with interdisciplinary artist Emily E. Ritter as she discusses the inspiration behind her latest exhibition, Ecologies of the Self, currently on view in the Clayton Staples Gallery.

Afterwards, stay for a Meet-the-Artist Reception, at the Clayton Staples Gallery in McKnight Art Center West.

Ecologies of the Self is on view in the Clayton Staples Gallery through Friday, May 15. Clayton Staples Gallery hours are Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

About the artist
Emily E. Ritter is an interdisciplinary artist currently living in Kansas. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art with an emphasis in Printmaking from Wichita State University in 2012. After graduating, Ritter was an Intern-in-Residence at Women's Studio Workshop in Rosendale, NY in 2014. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Arizona State University in 2018. Ritter's work explores various ecological themes, most recently creating symbolic artworks that feature native Kansas flora and fauna. She has exhibited her work locally, nationally, and internationally.

About the artist's work
This exhibition brings together several threads from my artistic practice, including wildlife illustration, ecological exploration, and emotion-based drawings. My work examines how humans connect to the natural world, from observing urban wildlife to imagining future ecosystems shaped by human impact. More recent pieces merge symbolic animal imagery with emotional mark-making, exploring resilience, transformation, and the interconnectedness of life.