Artist Statement

As a transplant from the “Purple Mountains Majesty” state of Colorado to the “Amber Waves of Grain” state of North Dakota in 2011, it took me a long time to find a place out here where the Earth spoke to me as it does in the mountains. I had practically become a hermit, never seeking the outdoors, because I simply couldn't find a place the Earth spoke back to me.
Finally, I felt that click of connection back to the land, in the Wilds of the Badlands, specifically Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
The Badlands are not the mountains, nor a place where I could feel the earth breathing around me. It is not my place, but it has become a place I love, respect and see the beauty in. It is a land that demands attention. It seeks as much as it gives, making you question nearly everything. Do I linger a moment longer, and watch the herd as it moves through the ancient landscape, or do I carry on up the road or trail? If I sit and linger, what might I miss? If I go, what might I miss? That buzz, was it a rattlesnake, or a harmless insect calling across the distance?
A rumble echoes through the valleys. Something is on the move. Is it bison, or a herd of wild horses stretching their legs? Now it's a footrace to the top of the nearest butte, hopefully to catch a glimpse before the land swallows those hoofbeats once again. 
The Badlands are a place out of time. A place to discover glimmers of the past in the flicker in the sun, the coolness of the shade. The wind whispers stories from before when only the wild ones roamed here. The Badlands themselves beckon to her own colorful history, calling back through the era’s, calling to the time before man.
This collection is curated to express the peace I find as a new day comes to light around me. It is an invitation to seek the stillness of the wild. How mindful I am while shivering in the frosty sunshine of the winter, just waiting for the cloud of steam as another living being breathes.
You will find me in the peaceful moments, listening to the herd quietly graze as the evening shadows fall. You will find me studying a wild flower, or witness me dash to a vantage point and arrive out of breath. For you see, I found my place in North Dakota —-it was in the breaks of those rugged Badlands wandering along the Lil Mo’..
            The Earth breathes here, it's simply a different rhythm than that of the mountains and streams. The wind sighs through the grasses instead of the trees, and the water runs still, but deep and purposeful. I found my place in North Dakota. Come join me in the Beauty of the Badlands!

Artist Bio

Maria Borkowski is a transplant from Colorado and is currently rooted in Western North Dakota uses her photography as mediation, a way to focus and navigate the strange new world we have all found ourselves in. Maria can be found watching a sunset, patiently waiting for the golden light of a sunburst, or you might find her trailing a herd of horses across the rugged Badlands. Sometimes you may even find her and her camera studying a flower intently with her lens. Using her camera as the vehicle, she navigated the dramatic acclimation from mountain majesty to prairie vista and endless summer days. Maria constantly challenges herself to change angles and perspectives. Self-taught by crash course trials and fantastic accidents; she prefers to control the captured moments from settings, to light, angle, and composition. Maria believes this is the truth of photography, honing skills and constantly evolving oneself. Maria’s artistry showcases her wanderlust and thirst for new adventures even in familiar places. Her photography is an invitation to slow down and experience the world as it truly is. She seeks to reconnect her audience to the wonder of the world around them in unexpected ways.​

Touring Schedule

MonDak Heritage Center
January 13-March 29
ArtWise
April 14-June 14
James Memorial Art Center
September 1-30