Elementals
Elementals was a year-long call for engagement that invited photographers to explore their relationship with the elements. Drawing on the Elementals book series from the Center for Humans & Nature, each season brought a new elemental focus that guided our discussions and practice—always inviting deeper questions about our elemental live.
As we practice together through the elemental seasons, we invite you to join us for weekly gatherings and practice groups where we explore and examine different aspects of our elemental lives within a supportive community.
Phil Lewenthal
Air
March 20th - June 20th, 2025
Infinite and always in motion, air is unutterably old, and its spirit carries with it the story of everything. Is there anything more ordinary and extraordinary than air? How can we use photography to engage with the more ethereal nature of being? In what ways can air offer breathing room, allowing our imaginations to thrive? And when we ‘play’ with air, what spaciousness emerges not just in our photography practices, but also in our relationships with our earthly kin?
FEATURED PROJECTS
April McNiff
Julia Nagai
Fire
June 21st - September 21st, 2025
Fire is both wild and domestic, destructive and generative. Life is fueled by fire, from plants creating energy through photosynthesis to the inner fires that spark meaning within our lives. Fire invites us to do the alchemical work of justice and change as well as the tender relational work of love and care. In what ways do the many manifestations of fire bring us in closer relationship with our earthly kin? What is revealed through the spark of our photographic attention? And how might our photography practices inspire us to sustain our own internal fires as darkness descends?
FEATURED PROJECTS
Water
September 22nd - December 20th, 2025
As a living presence, the circulation and flow of healthy waters make life on Earth possible and defines our very existence. How can photography invite us to ponder the traditions, perspectives, and aspirations linked to this vital element? In what ways does the flow of water around us and within us make us feel alive?
FEATURED PROJECTS
FEATURED PROJECTS
COLLABORATIONS
Earth
December 21st, 2025 - March 18th, 2026
Earth is living matter, place and planet—soil, ground, and home. Here, all elemental beings are woven together into diverse forms of matter. Earth bodies and human bodies are inseparable. With Earth, we find our form and weave meaning from the complexity and multiplicity of our earthbound experiences. What depths can be found in Earth’s cycles? Can embodied photographic practices inspire earthy perspectives that awaken the transformative power of humility, interdependence, connection, and care? Through practice, can we foster co-creative and collaborative partnerships with the living earth that invite mutual flourishing?
The Elemental Life
March 19th, 2025 - April 22, 2026
Earth is living matter, place and planet—soil, ground, and home. Here, all elemental beings are woven together into diverse forms of matter. Earth bodies and human bodies are inseparable. With Earth, we find our form and weave meaning from the complexity and multiplicity of our earthbound experiences. What depths can be found in Earth’s cycles? Can embodied photographic practices inspire earthy perspectives that awaken the transformative power of humility, interdependence, connection, and care? Through practice, can we foster co-creative and collaborative partnerships with the living earth that invite mutual flourishing?
Make Elemental Kin with Us
While the Kinship call for engagement is the hub of our community, your generous sharing is the heart. At Kinship, we celebrate the embodied collective wisdom of the community and the surprises that arise in the shared space between us. Through community gatherings, practice groups, collaborative prompts, courageous sharing, and curated exhibitions, we find new ways of making meaning together.
We hope you will join us on this quest of questioning, exploring, and discovering as we move together through the elemental year (you can join in at any time).
If you are new to Kinship, please check-out these resources:
Get started with our step-by-step guide.
What is a Kinship’s calls-for-engagement?
Join one of our seasonal Elementals practice groups.
Air - April Mcniff
Air - Gail Hincliff
Air - George Lottermoser
Air - Kate Kennington Steer
Air - Olivia Fulmer
Air - Megan Diving Hawk
Air - Noel Szychowski
Air - Paul Wanta
Air - Sarah Barker
Air - Susan Patrice
Air - Tracy Watts
Air - Cricket Woodward
Air - Alli Harper
Air - Lyn Swett Miller
Air - Neil Kramer
Air - Dafna Steinberg
Air - Lynne Buchanan
Air - Frances Bukovsky
Air - Kathryn Steinberg
Fire - Lyn Swett Miller
Fire - Susan Patrice
Fire - Paul Wanta