Meet The Artists Behind Where Wings Meet Water Art Exhibit
- Bianca Kreusel
- 13 minutes ago
- 3 min read
As we reflect on the Where Wings Meet Water immersive exhibit that recently took over Montrose Harbor, we wanted to take a moment to pull back the curtain on the incredible creative minds who made it all possible. In this feature, we are looking back at three specific artists whose work beautifully captured the delicate balance of the Lake Michigan shoreline and the avian life that defines it.
Myra Rivera
Myra is an artist and filmmaker from Chicago that
enjoys digital aesthetics and documentary storytelling. Her work in the exhibit featured digital videos of birds with vivid colors flying through the skies. What was once a hobby is now a passion, which she now pursues as an editor and motion designer. She is based right here in Chicago.
"I wanted to participate in this exhibit to meet nature and art lovers like myself. The exhibit was unique in the way it connected art from several mediums into a singular story," Rivera said. "Having to walk through the harbor up to the exhibit also added to the experience. I was surrounded by wildlife while enjoying a moment to reflect and talk with the community."
Mary Apikos
Mary Apikos has taught a diverse range of learners ranging from creatives to children with special needs. She is an anthropologist and a former ethnographic museum conservator. Currently, she teaches online courses on art making, folk/fairy tales and symbolism at the New York C.G. Jung Foundation and is on the staff of The London Arts Based Research Centre. In Fall 2026 Mary will be in Greece on an artist residency continuing her paintings of Elders and intergenerational narratives. She is currently illustrating an anthology of folk and fairy tales that feature birds.
"Showing my paintings about the impact of oil spills on birds at the Where Wings Meet Water
installation underscores for me the importance of creating physical inter-generational opportunities for children and artists to communicate with each other," Apikos explained. "Art teaches children things that often fall between the cracks. It invites them to have a nonjudgmental private relationship with color, composition, technique and meaning. I was touched by the intimate scale of the container itself. It was the perfect enclosure to sit and linger with the work and also to share a thought with another viewer."
Artistry Highlights
Many of the work featured in the exhibit included chairs that were modeled off of bird nest fungi. The chairs are made of eco-friendly foam and fabric grown from mycelium, the root-like structure of mushrooms. By replacing plastic and leather with materials grown from nature, these chairs demonstrate how sustainable design can emerge from the natural world.
When we look at traditional textiles, it’s easy to forget that our clothes, furniture, and canvas sails are essentially chemical and agricultural products before they ever reach a sewing machine. Shifting to eco-friendly fabric is one of the most direct ways we can protect both ecosystems and human communities.
The chairs brought immersion to the experience, as well as showing us that ecological innovation can start with something simple that we use every day.
We were incredibly lucky to have such visionary talent fueling the Where Wings Meet Water experience. These installations did so much more than just bring art to Montrose Harbor, they encouraged a deeper conversation about the conservation of our local habitats and the wildlife we share them with. While the physical exhibit has concluded, the impact of their work remains. We hope you enjoyed seeing the harbor through their eyes, and we look forward to sharing more highlights as we celebrate the rest of the participating artists from this past season.