Grounded Attention

Ally Messer is an interdisciplinary artist based in Philadelphia working across books, zines, animation, puppetry, and installation. Her practice centers on instances of care and reciprocity within communities, using diverse artistic forms to explore themes of connection, support, and the complexities of human relationships. Through these varied mediums, she engages with the spaces we inhabit and the networks that sustain us.

Erin Mallea is a multidisciplinary artist working across sculpture, photography, video, and print publications. Grounded in place-based research and collaborative practice, her work scrutinizes constructions of culture and nature, land and time as entry points into contemporary social, political, and environmental conditions. She engages with biologists, historians, environmental justice activists, and community groups outside traditional art spaces. Her projects have explored 19th-century utopian communities, family histories, land-use conflicts, and ecological transformation. She currently produces Tree News, an experimental publication and event series, holds an MFA from Carnegie Mellon University, and serves as Assistant Professor of Art at Pennsylvania State University School of Visual Arts.