Body of the World

The Escalette Collection is Chapman University’s “Museum Without Walls,” filling indoor and outdoor spaces throughout campus with inspiring works of Modern and contemporary art from our region. As part of Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, the Escalette Collection promotes research and public programming such as this exhibition of work by Inna Jane Ray (1949-2020). Ray’s work is held by the Escalette Collection which owns over 100 artworks, the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens and the Los Angeles Public Library.

Ray was a prolific painter, writer, and photographer who wove visual and verbal languages to explore her connection to California landscapes, her spirituality, and her own identity. Titled after a quote from one of her journals, this exhibition presents Ray’s depictions of nature and the resilience of California’s ecosystems and its inhabitants. As an artist intensely attentive to the living body of the world, her work is also a profound response to the interconnectedness of humanity and nature. Body of the World explores the intricate relationship between self and environment, where nature is not a backdrop but part of our shared existence. As she reflected in one of her journals, “We must acknowledge our ecological situation, grow away from exploitation and denial of the whole person and planet.” Ray aimed to capture the dynamism of nature and “the continuity of life from the first cell.”

We invite you to experience nature as an extension of the human experience and witness the artist’s and world’s body as one. This space is a celebration of the bodies of the world, encouraging a deeper contemplation of our place within the web of life.