Anna Fine Foer: Nurture or Nature

The proposed project, “Nurture or Nature,” is an interdisciplinary exploration of the intersection between art, science, and environmental sustainability. It builds on my ongoing collaboration with soil biodiversity scientists from Leiden University and the Leiden Center of Applied Biosciences to create a series of collages that interpret scientific research on soil microbes and tulip cultivation. I aim to foster public engagement with climate change and biodiversity by transforming complex scientific data into accessible visual narratives.

Nurture or Nature 2023 collage 18”h, 16”w In the Netherlands in recent years, the amount of groundwater has been depleted. Initiatives by local municipalities to replenish groundwater reserves include encouraging homeowners to remove their garden paving stones. I depict this action with the collage prints of Delft tiles with windmill patterning that reference the attempts historically to remove the groundwater for agricultural purposes. Actions such as there are welcomed by tulip breeders as a way to enhance the biodiversity and health of the soil that nurtures tulip bulbs.
Fragmented Firmament collage 2023 15”h, 22.5”w Recently, in the Netherlands, there have been friendly competitions between municipalities to remove paving stones from gardens. This seemingly small act will replenish much-needed groundwater reserves. I use the iconic Delft tile to represent the dismantled paving stones. Decorations on the broken tiles allude to the commodification of the land and the sea. Windmills drained the land for agricultural use and the ship drawing refers to Dutch economic success due to their dominance of trade routes, coinciding with the 17th-century trading frenzy known as Tulipmania. Tulips are nurtured in microbe-rich soil.
Infusion 2023 gouache and collage 22”h, 15”w Microbes and fungi nurture the soils and penetrate tulip bulbs, infusing the leaves and petals.
Cracked Vase 2024 22”h, 15”w, collaged gouache This composition is an exploration of initiatives in The Netherlands to tear out garden paving to replenish groundwater.
Bacillus licheniformis 2024 collage and gouache 22″w, 30″h, 2024 Microbial communities in soils play a crucial role in nurturing tulip bulbs, functioning much like intricate gears in a complex machine that drives botanical productivity. These microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and archaea, interact synergistically to enhance nutrient availability, stimulate plant growth, and protect the bulbs from pathogens. By breaking down organic matter and facilitating nutrient cycling, these microbes infuse the soil with essential elements that tulip bulbs absorb, promoting vigorous growth and vibrant blooms. Additionally, beneficial microbes form protective barriers around the bulbs, suppressing the proliferation of harmful diseases and ensuring the healthy development of the plants. Genomic graphs of the microbe bacillus licheniformis are arranged in a circular continuum referencing a Greek motif that represents divine symmetry and balance in nature; the eternal circle of life.
Tulipum mycelium 2024 collage 23”h, 20”w The composition amplifies how a network of mycelia that nurtures the soil is a key component in the growth of tulips.
Binary Tulips 2025 collage and gouache 22”h, 15”w The binary aspect of the collage material amplifies the genetic component of a tulip and of the microbes in the soil.
Botanical Engineering 2017 watercolour 15.5”w, 21”h Introducing a new body of work about all things Tulips, focusing on genetic mutations known as transposons, expressed by the striated and variegated petals. Bulbs that produced these tulips were most desired during Tulipmania, in 17th 17th-century Netherlands. The composition expresses engineered, human intervention into the propagation of tulip bulbs to create the desired effects.

Anna decided to become an artist at age 11, during a summer spent in Paris visiting every museum and gallery she could. As a fibers and crafts major at the Philadelphia College of Art she developed a fascination with the relationship between maps and the landscapes they represent, sparking a lifelong interest in depicting topography and terrain through collage.

After emigrating to Israel, Anna worked as a textile conservator in Haifa and Tel-Aviv. She studied at the Textile Conservation Centre, Courtauld Institute in London, where she received a Post-Graduate Diploma in Textile Conservation. Back in the US, Anna worked in conservation for the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C and for many museum clients as a freelance textile conservator. At the same time, she continued to construct collage landscapes with scientific, political and meta-physical significance, depicting three or more dimensions on a two-dimensional plane.

Anna now lives in Baltimore and has two adult sons. Her work has been exhibited at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the National Institutes of Health and the Israeli Embassy and is in the permanent collection of the Haifa Museum of Art and the Beer-Sheva Biblical Museum and many other prestigious venues. She was awarded a prize for the Encouragement of Young Artists for work exhibited in the Artist’s House in Jerusalem and received a Maryland State Arts Council grant for Individual Artists in 2008, 2016 and 2021.

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