This riverbed is a cradle, these railcars a lullaby

This body of work is an intimate portrayal of human relationship with the land. Rooted in the Northeast Ohio landscapes of Wentling’s childhood, these handwoven pieces and poems pull at the tensions of feeling connected to the ecology of a place while recognizing how the land and culture have been heavily marked by industrial capitalism. Sites like the Cuyahoga River, woods on the W&LE Railroad property, and Sugar Creek appear through memory and material.

Through processes of handweaving, botanical dyeing, and papermaking, Wentling conjures craft traditions that diminished during the rise of industrialization. Using yarns dyed with both native plants and pollutants, woven pieces represent a material history of the region. They carry reminders of fire, oil, and steel—memories of humans’ past relationships with the land. They also gesture toward the possibility of repair, of reconnecting with places once sacrificed or neglected.

Michelle Wentling grew up in rural Northeast Ohio where her family has worked in the rail and steel industries. In 2018 she moved to Salt Lake City to study at the University of Utah. She has a background in Environmental Humanities and is interested in the connections between craft, ecology, and community. Michelle currently works at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and is learning how to weave on a Macomber loom passed down from her late grandmother Maxine.