Meg Webster’s new solo exhibition at Paula Cooper Gallery in New York features a multisensory installation that brings the natural world directly into the urban gallery space. Titled “Thicket,” the centerpiece is a spiraling structure made from locally sourced branches, leaves, and flowers, designed to envelop visitors within its ascending walls. The experience is further enhanced by “Nearest Virgin Forest,” a sound component capturing birdsong recorded in the Hutcheson Memorial Forest in New Jersey, located about an hour from the city, immersing viewers in a rural ambiance.

This marks Webster’s first solo show at Paula Cooper in ten years and underscores renewed interest in the 82-year-old artist’s work. Throughout her career, Webster has been dedicated to ephemeral art often crafted from organic, natural materials. Known for pieces such as “Wall of Wax” (1990) and “Moss Bed, King” (1986-88), she typically destroys or recycles her installations after exhibitions conclude, returning the materials to the environment.

Webster’s commitment to impermanence and environmental themes situates her work within a broader dialogue about humanity’s relationship to nature. At a time when many feel distanced from the outdoors and increasingly fearful of its perceived dangers amid climate change, Webster hopes her art can foster a renewed appreciation for the planet. “We’re in a place in our country where people are afraid of nature,” she said, noting that while people recognize its beauty, they remain wary of its less hospitable elements like insects and snakes.

In addition to the Paula Cooper show, Webster’s work will appear in a series of group exhibitions this summer at venues across the New York area, including the Flag Art Foundation in Chelsea, the Parrish Museum in Water Mill, and an installation at the Church in Sag Harbor that will temporarily revive the “Moss Bed” sculpture.

Jessica Morgan, director of the Dia Art Foundation, acknowledged that the transitory nature of Webster’s art presents both a challenge and a defining feature. While inclusion of Webster’s work in recent major exhibitions—such as the “Minimal” show in Paris and a two-year installation at Dia Beacon—has elevated her profile, she remains less widely recognized than male sculptors in the land art and minimalist traditions. “The greatest challenge that she’s faced is the same thing that makes her work so extraordinary: the ephemerality,” Morgan said.

Currently undergoing breast cancer treatment, Webster has expressed ambivalence about the temporary status of her work. After the close of her Dia Beacon installation, she said she experienced a surge of emotion and reflected on whether she might pursue more permanent projects in the future. She points to a small number of enduring works, including “Stonefield” (2010), a permanent outdoor installation of carefully selected stones in Hudson River Park.

Webster’s practice, dating back to her Yale days, often contrasts with that of her male peers. While artists like Michael Heizer approach nature with a desire to dominate or control the environment, Webster emphasizes care for living elements such as plants, soil, and twigs. Her work tends to focus on urban settings rather than remote landscapes, aligning her with contemporaries like Mary Miss and Jody Pinto.

Despite her lifelong efforts to inspire environmental awareness through art, Webster has expressed frustration when institutions exhibiting her work fail to align their actions with ecological principles. She recalled learning that a museum planned to remove trees on its property shortly after showing her installations. “They sat with my work…and now they’re just cutting trees down,” she said. “They didn’t get it somehow.”

Looking ahead, Webster envisions future projects blending architectural elements with garden or rewilded forest themes, reflecting her enduring exploration of impermanence and care. Curator Leigh Arnold of the Nasher Sculpture Center described Webster’s current reflections on mortality and permanence as “deeply relatable,” noting that the artist is contemplating what legacy will remain after she is gone.

Though Webster’s installations are ultimately dismantled, they persist in memory and influence. The physical transience of her work echoes broader human concerns about mortality and the fleeting nature of experience—elements that continue to resonate with audiences and colleagues alike.