Some of my biggest exhales have come on the back of the wind. The quiet breeze, moving through the trees or against my cheek, often reminds me to breathe… like really breathe, not just out of habit, but on purpose. And! As an avid breather (like the rest of us) I’ll admit that its easy to forget the gift of something so natural. It took a pandemic, a breathless tragedy, to remind me of the very wind that has been with me all my life. I won’t treat it like a stranger again. It’s pretty wild how life events can recalibrate you back to a centering space, a space where the little things take on a bigger role and the mundane feels important enough to warrant a pause… one long enough for lingering thoughts to hold space… Those are the moments I chase these days!
Nature has a way of shrinking the heavy things and holding the whole of you without asking for anything in return. In nature, heavy thoughts reduce to liftable sizes next to massive boulders, racing thoughts halt to school zone speeds along moving streams, and the occasional binge and chill has nothing on watching a little bee hovering around the flower of its choice. Weekly burdens often find a resting place along a ripples flow, in the limbs of the oaks, and in between the staggered rocks.
Thankfully. I only have to make a quick 15 minute drive to find a patch of trees worth hugging, and though most days I venture farther, I’m grateful for nature to be within arms reach. And I’m not alone. Historically, access to the peace and tranquility in outdoor spaces hasn’t always felt equitable. But recently I’ve been noticing more movements encouraging people of color to claim that space, from the frolic, to the forest bathe, to simple feet in grass and sun-kissed moments. (I water my lawn barefoot now)
Outside of the very real fear of bugs, black people do, in fact, go outside. We always have. Sometimes you just need a little reminder that we deserve to take up space in nature to breathe deeply and freely. Cuyahoga Valley National Park(CNVP) traveling exhibition- Nature Includes You does just that.
Captured in front of the lenses, the photography exhibition is anchored by historic photos highlighting people of color in nature, dispelling the myth that nature isn’t for everyone.
Curated by the Museum of Creative Human Art (MOCHA), this is the third exhibition I’ve caught in their ongoing partnership with CNVP. For this show, photographers Ryan Harris, Amber Ford and McKinley Wiley, were commissioned to create new work.
Each paired with a subject, they set out to capture not just the image of a person outdoors, but the feeling — the unspoken connection that comes when you let yourself linger in the landscape.
In contrast, the exhibition also layers in historical photographs, reminding us that our presence in nature has always existed, even when myths or stereotypes suggest otherwise. Juxtaposed together, the message is simple but powerful: we have always been here. And we still find joy in the same things — the hush of a trail, the rhythm of water, the comfort of trees.
One of the things I appreciated most was the way collaboration shaped each piece. Subjects shared their favorite outdoor spaces, their personal rituals of rest or reflection, and the photographers responded with care. There was trust in these exchanges, and that trust radiates through the final works. You can feel it.
The exhibit experience extended beyond the exhibit space too. I went to CNVP’s Low Power Happy Hour (yes, I had the same questions: “What is that? And why do I want to go?”). Held at the park, it creates a space for conversation, and this day, a panel with the artists and their subjects. Hearing them talk about what nature means to them, why they seek it out, and how it restores them felt like an affirmation: their reasons sounded a lot like mine.
The collaborations touched on the idea of being unmasked in nature, the way stepping outside allows you to breathe deeper, without pretense. The conversations spoke to discovery and freedom. And across all three collaborations, what lingered was the sense that nature doesn’t just hold us, it invites us to show up fully. We understand that we are nature people, many of us. We understand that we find a calming place in the folds of the leaves, and in the gaze of the mountains our rocky moments settle like streams. And it’s that special moment that this exhibition catches in flash. The moment when the exhale settles, sparking a smile and embodying the spirit of creation.
Every image seems to carry its own breath, its unique affirmation that rest, joy and freedom are not luxuries, it’s what it means to be alive. The message rang clear, we’ve always belonged here. Nature is a mirror, if you let it be. Showing us our smallness, and also magnifying our strength. Hopefully next time you step outside, you will notice it too, because, Nature… indeed… Includes You.
More info on the show and its upcoming schedule- https://www.nps.gov/cuva/planyourvisit/nature-includes-you.htm
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