Olga Ziemska art on display at Franklin Park Conservatory through May

In its exhibits, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has a knack for finding art works that speak to the human connection with the natural world.

“SPOKE: The Visual Poetry & Environmental Art of Artist Olga Ziemska,” on view through May 30 in the Conservatory’s Cardinal Health Gallery, is an impressive and thought-provoking display of wall sculptures made with natural materials and photographs of outdoor sculptures throughout the world and close to home.

Visual arts:Aminah Robinson’s flair for capturing stories and people shared in exhibit

Ziemska, 45, the first in her Polish family to be born in the United States, began her education studying political science and English at Cleveland State University, then earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Columbus College of Art & Design. Her master’s degree in sculpture is from the Rhode Island School of Design.In between, in 2002, she studied in Poland on a Fulbright Fellowship. All aspects of her background are evident in her works, which blend masterful sculptures with poetry.

One of the chromogenic prints of her sculptures is of “Listen,” an outdoor piece in the Centre of Polish Sculpture, Oronsko, Poland. Nine tall and slender birch logs culminate at their tops with plaster human hands. Part of Ziemska’s accompanying poem reads: “Long, thin birch log limbs/Hands perched atop/Signaling, signing, saying L-I-S-T-E-N.”

Three wall sculptures (“Matrix 01, 02 and 03”) are built with reclaimed wood slices, willow branches and burnt text. The installations look like they were built with Tinker Toys, with a single letter placed on each wood slice. The letters and words are slightly difficult to decipher, causing viewers to take their time reading Ziemska’s poem.

“In a lot of my work, I try to slow people down, make them more aware of their surroundings and themselves,” Ziemska said in a telephone interview from her home in Cleveland.

Part of her poem in “Matrix 03” (2021) reads: “The body is nothing without that which surrounds it,” emphasizing the bond between humans and nature that is a familiar refrain in her work.