Erin Bentley

Erin Bentley

Bio - Erin Bentley is a PhD student in the Program in Ecology and Evolution at the University of Wyoming, where she studies the evolution and genetics of wildflowers in the genus Penstemon (Beardtongues) and art/science education.
Born and raised in Green River, Wyoming, she is a fifth generation Wyomingite. Art/Science outreach is an important part of her graduate education, and she recently completed a residency in the Arctic, where she hunted for microbes and made international artist connections.
She has curated art/science exhibitions, including the Micrographia exhibition at the University of Wyoming Art Museum. Her experiences studying the organisms of Wyoming, from soil microbes to endangered wildflowers to mule deer, have influenced her to make organism-inspired art that brings attention to the many plant, animal, and microbial residents of our state.
Her work has been sold in Laramie art fairs, commissioned for the Joyful Home in Sheridan Wyoming, and privately commissioned.

Statement - Erin Bentley engraves functional and artistic glass pieces that focus on Wyoming themes, organisms, and culture.
She focuses specifically on engraving historically, ecologically, and culturally important organisms of Wyoming, as well as the endangered and threatened species that call Wyoming home. Her artistic endeavors extend the academic outreach she has performed throughout her tenure at UW.
She seeks novel ways to connect her fellow Wyomingites with the ecology and nature of the state by drawing and engraving the organisms she studies in her PhD, including Penstemon haydenii (Blowout Penstemon) and Yermo xanthocephalus (Desert Yellowhead), endangered Wyoming wildflowers. In addition to bringing awareness to local plants, animals, and ecosystems, she also imbues her work with her history growing up and living in Wyoming.
She is a fifth generation Wyomingite, and shows her love and connection to the state through her engravings. She is working on a Wyoming themed tarot deck to encourage Wyoming visitors and residents to reflect upon the physical and spiritual connections between themselves and the many non-human residents across the state.