Of Root, Stem and Leaf

Lucy Lacoste Gallery is delighted to present Of Root, Stem, and Leaf, Ilana Manolson’s triumphant return to printmaking. This new body of work marks a homecoming to the medium in which she began her artistic journey—now transformed by decades of painting, observation, and deep environmental engagement.

Manolson’s art has always been an act of attunement—to water’s reflections, to the hidden life of roots, to the unseen networks that sustain growth. Her work interprets the New England landscape not as scenery, but as a living system of exchange between earth, air, and the human hand.Manolson’s environmental sensitivity runs deep. Raised in Canada, she learned to read the landscape from pebble to peak, a fascination that led her to work as a naturalist for Parks Canada before earning her BFA in Printmaking from RISD. Her understanding of ecosystems—whether in a tide pool or a forest canopy—continues to guide her visual language today.

Over four decades, Manolson’s work has been exhibited internationally at Cadogan Gallery (London), Jason McCoy (New York), and Qualia Contemporary (Palo Alto), and is held in major collections including the RISD Museum, MFA Boston, Berkeley Art Museum, and the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo. A cofounder of Boston’s seminal Artist Proof print collective and a longtime educator at RISD, Manolson’s influence extends well beyond her own studio practice. 

Lucy Lacoste Gallery is honored to debut Of Root, Stem, and Leaf—a body of work that celebrates regeneration, both artistic and ecological.