""One with Mother Earth" at Woodlands"

By: Kelly Anderson, BRANTFORD

The Woodland Cultural Center is currently featuring Mona Staats' photography exhibition, "One with Mother Earth", which has opened this week.

The five week long exhibition displays Staats' 25 full colour photographs of nature that are all taken from the wildlife sanctuary trail that she has created on her 20 acres of land on Chiefswood Road.

Primarily considered a story teller by many, she prefers her work to be acknowledged as "sharing living legends". It is with photography that she is able to contribute more permanently to the sharing of her knowledge.

The 76 year old has been interested in photography for about 20 years now. She says that she "loves the outdoors and is always taking pictures."

Her love of nature is something that has stayed with her for some time now. She was raised on a 100 acre farm and went through the woods to get to school. It was on this daily trek that she saw the value of nature that became an integral part of her life today.

She stated that her photos are tied into some of the elements of Ganohonyohk, the Thanksgiving address. The appreciation and respect for plants, trees and flowers are very evident throughout the exhibition. The medicine that comes from the plants is just one example of what Staats' photos tries to portray.

This exhibition is a learning experience that Staats has intended for children. What they will be learning about is an appreciation for the Creator's handiwork. She believes it is more effective for children to learn visually, and a photography exhibition will serve that purpose.

Staats wants the education to continue after the exhibition is over and will do so by donating copies of her photographs to schools. She believes that many public school systems can realize that elements of Ganohonyhok exist in the different subjects they teach.

Her exhibition is an extension of the learning process that Staats firmly believes in. Staats acknowledges that her grandmother was her professor because of the knowledge that she taught her. Now she is carrying on in that tradition with her desire to educate children. "When you learn good things, you can never take away" that knowledge, Staats believes.

Staats is very proud to be featured at Woodlands. It is "certainly a pleasure at my age to have an exhibition for what I do," she said.