Muriel Horvath is a visual artist who lives and studies in Boston. She was raised in Hanover, NH by an artist mother and an entrepreneur father, and grew up with a large forest for a backyard. Her early exposure to the natural world led her to begin making art before she could read, and it still informs much of her practice today. As a child, Muriel traveled in South America and Europe with her family, experiencing a variety of ecosystems and noticing relationships to nature that were informed by a region’s culture. In high school, Muriel pursued a deeper understanding of the effects of climate change. During her senior year in high school, she undertook a year-long independent study in art and biology, culminating in a solo show. She is currently a 3rd year combined degree student at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University, majoring in both Fine Art and Environmental Studies. She has experience in drawing, watercolor, screen printing, bookbinding, and fiber arts. In the Fall of 2018 Muriel solo-hiked The Long Trail through Vermont to further immerse herself in the landscape of the Northeast.
Artist Statement:
Today we are so far removed from the natural processes that surround us on this planet that we often end up treating the species and systems that make up our ecosystems as disposable, like the goods we buy, despite the fact that we are so reliant on them for survival.
Since my childhood, I have been captivated by the intricacies of the ecosystems that surround me, and I spent much of my time exploring, collecting and documenting in forests by my home in New Hampshire. I am still driven by that curiosity in my art. My work is an unabashed observation of the natural world that I love. With it, I hope to create reasons for others to love, care for, and respect nature in their own way. In studying the environment through both an academic and an artistic lens I create work that both informs and excites the viewer, inspiring their curiosity. I aim to reveal the often hidden processes that exist in the natural world which are so illuminating and educational to me.