Morgan’s first solo show, “Gift of Survival” opened January 2024 to February 2024 at Push/Pull in Seattle, Washington. “Gift of Survival” centers the endurance of urban animals in an ever-changing and hostile environment. Inspired by folk saints, spiritualism, real encounters, culling of coyotes by 1950s USDA, celebrity urban animals, and titled after a quote from John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, “Gift of Survival” invites the viewer to reflect on our connection and impact to the natural world in conscious and subconscious ways.
Gift of Survival
“Mack and the boys are the Beauties, the Virtues, the Graces. In a world ruler by tigers with ulcers, rutted by strictures bulls, scavenger by blind jackals, Mack and the boys dine delicately with the tigers, fondle the frantic heifers, and wrap up the crumbs to feed the seagulls of Cannery Row. What can it profit a man to gain the whole world and to come to his property with a gastric ulcer, a blown prostate, and bifocals? Mack and the boys avoid the trap, walk around the poison, step over the noose while a generation of trapped, poisoned, and trussed-up men scream at them and call them no-goods, come-to-bad-ends, blots-on-the-towns, thieves, rascals, bums.
Our Father who art in Nature, who has given the gift of survival to the coyote, the common brown rat, the English sparrow, the housefly and the moth, must have a great and overwhelming love for no-goods and blots-on-the-town and bums, and Mack and the boys. Virtues and graces and laziness and zest. Our Father who art in nature."
― John Steinbeck, Cannery Row
Folk Saints of Survival Series, ink and gold flake on paper, approx. 5”×7”
Ballard Bunnies (Seattle Night Series), ink on paper, approx. 2”x4.5”
Bounty on Broadway (Seattle Night Series), ink on paper, approx. 5”x7”
Jawless Jerry of Tacoma, ink and gold flake on paper, approx. 5”x7”
“Raccoon and Coyote Skull Studies with Marigolds” ink on paper, 4” x 6”
The Path Those Before Me Walked (Seattle Night Series), ink on paper, approx. 5”x7”
Jawless Jerry was a female coyote missing half of her snout. Local animal control did not anticipate her living long enough without use of her mouth, however she was aged about 2 years at time of death. JJ was recorded and loved by Tacoma, Washington locals, and a blue collar, punk rock icon. She was hit by a car New Years morning in 2024.
Wet Cracking on Pavement (Seattle Night Series), ink on paper, approx. 4”x6”
The Hills Have Changed (Seattle Night Series), ink on paper, approx. 5”x7”
P-22 of Los Angeles, ink and gold flake on paper, approx. 8”x10”
P-22 was a mountain lion that resided in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California first identified in 2012. He was tracked by radio collar, displaying migration between two major freeways and residing on a small patch of wilderness within Los Angeles. P-22 was euthanized after sustaining injuries from being hit by a car. The puma became a local icon, beloved by locals, politicians, and celebrities. P-22 is also near and dear to my heart, as someone born in southern California.
Photos from the show opening night with a guest viewing the artwork. I left a notebook for guests to write and reflect on the show, giving them space to share their experiences and encounters with local wildlife. Some entries are shared below. A special thank you to those for sharing their stories, knowledge, and vulnerability.
