Eric Clark Jackson: An Iconography of the Chesapeake

The Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity in the Arts (CIRCA) presents a talk by Eric Clark Jackson, an artist who explores the intersection of ecology and materiality, using fiber-based processes to construct an iconography of the Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic region. Jackson is the 2026 Maryland Traditions Artist-in-Residence. In this presentation, he will provide an overview of his meticulous and process-oriented practice, typically combining wildlife illustration with fiber arts in large scale explorations of place. Through a slow, iterative, and holistic process, he creates scientifically accurate illustrations that also spark stories. His work invites the viewer to share their own stories about the species depicted: The one that got away. The last cast. The shot at last light. Jackson will share his tradition and practice with UMBC's Linehan Artist Scholars over six sessions, and will collaborate with them on a public workshop and demonstration for children in the local community.

Eric Clark Jackson is on the teaching faculty of St. Mary's College of Maryland, a national public honors college (and his alma mater), and the College of Southern Maryland, where he teaches coursework in 2D media and material studies. His teaching involves a research-based pedagogy rooted in choice-based methodologies, encouraging his students to make meaning through self-directed decisions and media choices. He partners regularly with conservation organizations across the region, from local initiatives with Riverkeepers and watershed groups through partnerships with national changemakers including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Alliance for the Chesapeake. Jackson is the recipient of multiple state grants from the Maryland State Arts Council, Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, local arts councils, and numerous conservation organizations. He regularly presents his work through many of the state-affiliated regional folklife and heritage centers in the region as well. His work is in the permanent collection of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, the Museum of Eastern Shore Culture, and Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, as well as in the collections of multiple past corporate sponsors.

Admission is free, and a lunch will be served. Please RSVP for the lunch by February 20.

Image: Eric Clark Jackson, Striped Bass, Potomac River Buoy 3.