JoAnn Verburg: Aftershocks

In 2016, while working in Spoleto, Italy, JoAnn Verburg experienced three major earthquakes. The aftershocks, which continued for months, unnerved her. With parts of buildings still falling around her, she couldn’t shake a sense of impending catastrophe. Her anxieties were enhanced by the major events that followed, from the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis to the global pandemic. For Verburg, as for so many others, the world felt dangerously out of balance.​​

Long known for her exquisite landscapes and innovative techniques in photography and video, Verburg questioned how to continue making beautiful art amid the devastating reality of world events. Beneath the surface of the mesmerizing images of nature in “Aftershocks,” the question lingers, as she explores loss, dread, and the healing power of art in a time of worldwide change and upheaval.

Credit: Overview from museum website