In both her artwork and her scientific studies, Malaika Ross ’88 celebrates the beauty in nature that often goes unseen. Attending Williston after growing up on St. Croix, she studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, San Francisco Art Institute, and the Marchutz School of Fine Arts before earning her B.A. with a focus on soil microbiology at Hampshire College. “I integrate the shapes and patterns developed in my microbial drawings of soil microbes into contemporary botanical paintings of native and introduced flora,” she explains. “The act of observing and documenting nature through painting and drawing as a Black woman is a form of liberation, environmental stewardship, and anti-oppression work.” Her solo show, “The Microbes That Saved My Life,” ran this fall in Easthampton’s ECA gallery. Other works can be seen (and purchased) at malaikaross.com.
