On Feb. 12, Colgate University celebrated the opening of the Clifford Gallery’s new exhibition from Franco-American artist Suzanne Husky, titled For Alliances with the Beaver People. The exhibition features a singular physical object: an 11-meter-long embroidered tapestry that traces key moments in beaver-human relationships.
Drawing inspiration from the historic Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Husky’s work reframes the traditional narrative of conquest and battle into one of mutual ecological regeneration. Her tapestry illustrates how rivers evolve through the interactions of humans and beavers and what these interactions mean for coexistence and environmental stewardship.
“All of the landscapes depicted in Western art were created after beavers had already been wiped out in many places,” Husky noted during the exhibition’s opening panel. “That affects how we perceive what a healthy river should look like. In places like Europe, where people haven’t had the opportunity to see naturally meandering, beaver-influenced rivers, we need visuals to educate restoration teams.”
In a curtained room to the side of the main exhibition, visitors can experience The Sound of a New Waterfall (2022), a short documentary film directed by Husky centering on Vermont naturalist Patti Smith. The film provides an intimate look into Smith’s daily interactions with beavers and the ecological insights she has gained from observing their behaviors.
“When I first filmed Patti’s stream with a drone, it struck me that I was seeing a truly healthy stream for the first time,” Husky reflected. “For me, that realization underscored how our representation of landscapes shapes our understanding of nature."
The exhibition’s opening reception brought together over one hundred guests to engage with Husky’s work. The event was followed by a panel discussion featuring Husky herself alongside naturalist and wildlife rehabilitator Patti Smith, SUNY ESF director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment Neil Patterson Jr., and Colgate Professor of Geography and Director of the Environmental Studies Program Mike Loranty. Associate Professor of Art Margaretha Haughwout served as moderator. The panel explored beaver ecologies and the future of watershed management, reinforcing the exhibition’s emphasis on environmental sustainability and cross-species collaboration.
Husky spoke about the lessons beavers offer in ecological restoration and the need to shift from human-led management to a more collaborative approach. “One of the most significant shifts in hydrology has been the recognition that we cannot out-engineer nature. Beavers have been shaping landscapes for eight million years, and they know what they’re doing,” she said. “In a time of climate uncertainty, we need to form alliances with other species that can help us adapt.”
The discussion also touched on practical solutions for coexistence. “Removing beavers is never a permanent solution,” Husky emphasized during the audience Q&A. “They always return, often causing worse flooding when no one is looking, and it’s not free to keep getting rid of them. Investing in coexistence strategies is more effective in the long run.”
Husky’s exhibition at the Clifford Gallery is part of a broader collaboration with the Picker Art Gallery, which is concurrently showcasing her textile work La Noble Pastoral as part of the group exhibition A Thought Is a Thread: Contemporary Artists Reworking Textile Traditions. The exhibition at Picker runs through May 18 and brings together artists whose works explore the historical and cultural significance of textiles.
Husky’s presence at Colgate is made possible through the cosponsorship of the Colgate Arts Council, the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University Studies, Environmental Studies, Film and Media Studies, Biology, Romance Languages and the Literature, Geography, and History departments.
During her time on campus, she will create a new textile work using the recently acquired TC2 digital loom in the Bernstein Center for Creativity and Innovation. This piece will be developed in collaboration with students, offering them a hands-on opportunity to explore the intersections of contemporary textile art and ecological storytelling.
“We must learn to share the right to transform the world,” Husky said. “Humans have not always been good at this. Beavers remind us that every being — large or small — is a world-builder.”