“Nature’s Echo: The Captivating Decompositions of Nancy Macko”

By Emily Glory Peters

For numerous individuals, the seclusion of the COVID-19 lockdown was something to be tolerated rather than examined. College campuses thinned; retailers struggled to remain operational; and cultural staples such as music venues and museums closed their doors—some never to open again.

While society anxiously anticipated the end of the pandemic, Professor of Art Nancy Macko discovered rejuvenation in the most surprising place: her compost bin.

“I captured an image of asparagus stalks arranged like a campfire emoji—it was so delicate and remarkable, and it occurred naturally due to physics. That inspired me,” recalls Macko of Asparagus Kindling, a favorite among her compost bin photographs. “The macro lens unveiled hidden connections in the decaying remnants—it disclosed what you’d never perceive otherwise.”

Nancy Macko’s Asparagus Kindlingon display in the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery

Launching at Scripps’ Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery this past autumn, Decompositions: Photography by Nancy Macko showcases 38 previously unseen images portraying the metamorphosis of the mundane into the extraordinary, where common items like onion skins and apple peels evoke artistic traditions ranging from the Renaissance to Surrealism. Reflecting on the delicate connection between decay and renewal, the photographs blur the distinctions between realism and abstraction.

Gardens, sorrow, and embracing discomfort

For Macko, her path to Decompositions commenced in the early 2000s while caring for her elderly mother. They spent countless hours together in the garden, with Macko capturing images of her mom and close-up photographs of blossoms.

Following her mother’s death, she incorporated the images with religious symbolism in a visual memoir—a creative grieving journey that ignited her own reflections on mortality. This theme has influenced Macko’s work ever since.

“Individuals can be hesitant to discuss the body’s recycling, about where the spirit travels. However, as an educator at a liberal arts institution like Scripps, I’ve learned to pose challenging questions,” she shares. “The deeper message of Decompositions is to confront your own mortality in an optimistic, accepting manner, acknowledging that we all eventually conclude.”

Professor of Art Nancy Macko with Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Director of the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery Erin Curtis

Decompositions stands out not only for its ethereal subject matter. It marks the first exhibition curated by Director of the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery Erin Curtis and the inaugural solo show at the gallery for Macko, who has been part of Scripps’ faculty since 1986. An ecofeminist at heart, Macko asserts that photographing Decompositions has also evolved into an educational instrument, urging students to grapple with questions surrounding environmentalism, feminism, and their connection to the nonhuman realm.

“The exhibition influenced my teaching—it had to,” she states. “There is this notion that if you control and shape nature, you will gain wealth, prestige, and power. But ‘nature is going to nature’ regardless of our involvement, whether I photograph it or not—and it may react to our actions in ways that may inconvenience us. The exhibition serves as a means of granting nature a voice.”

Macko’s photographic approach aligns with nature’s dominance. While crediting her partner Jan as “the curator of the bin,” she remains uninvolved with the scraps once they’re disposed of, allowing arrangements to develop naturally. From that point, her lens seeks the artistic within the decay, magnificence in the muck, and colors in the illumination: the frameworks of new existence.

Extending Decompositions beyond Scripps College

Outside the gallery confines, Macko’s artwork has found a niche in unexpected locations. She recently collaborated with Scripps’ Office of Gift Planning to donate works to The Nucleus, the new scientific center for Scripps and Pitzer Colleges. Infusing fine art into a STEM environment feels emblematic of Scripps, where dismantling barriers between disciplines is a way of life.

Nancy Macko, Divine Intervention, 2022, Archival Pigment Print, 40 x 60 inches

“People enjoy experiencing art in a science-centered environment,” Macko remarks, crediting her colleague, Professor of Biology Jennifer Armstrong, for the collaborative idea. “I hope this trend continues as Scripps evolves.”

For Macko, the importance of Decompositions lies not only in its message and connection to the Scripps community but also in its ability to resonate with wider audiences. Although she has exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally over the years, she regards this exhibition as her “most significant body of work to date”—and intends to tour it to additional museums and galleries so viewers can engage with its visuals and confront its troubling questions.

Regardless of their interpretations, Macko hopes audiences depart with the fortitude to confront their discomfort regarding the “final” phases of existence. After all, it may not be the conclusion we anticipate.

“Inquire,” she encourages. “Don’t fear what you might uncover.”

Decompositions is exhibited at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery until January 12, 2025. To find out more about the gallery, click here.