In Lora Jost’s exhibit of drawings and mosaics, cardinals honk and chickadees sing razor wire. Death chases a prairie chicken with a blaring saxophone. Animals drawn from memory reveal the loss we find when we are without them. Origami cranes, an international symbol for peace, fly over walls and meander through chain link fences. And yet, archways that imply the presence of barriers also show a way to pass through them. The cardinal’s song is visually amplified as a message of hope and renewal. A car with loudspeakers on top blasts an unusual wish for the world. With a sense of beauty and compassion, through images that visualize sounds that are both real and imagined, Jost’s work “sounds the alarm” on climate change, animal extinction, and other urgent concerns. It encourages the viewer to “listen” with an open heart toward creating a future where there is enough to share and compassion for all.

IMAGE detail from Lora Jost’s Spring, Ink, clayboard, 14” x 18”,  2019