Material and Light: A Conversation with Artist Nancy Lorenz

Nancy Lorenz, Moonlight , 2023, silver leaf, mother of pearl, shellac, pigment on wood panel, 36 x 60 in., courtesy of the artist Get an extra special sneak peek at an upcoming exhibition with artist Nancy Lorenz in advance of her solo exhibition, The Elements , opening February 2027 here at the Taubman Museum of Art. In conversation with Curator Laura K. Higgins, Lorenz will explore her distinctive practice, which draws on a lifetime of engagement with rich materials and surface techniques. Lorenz’s luminous works—layered with gold, silver, and palladium leaf, mother-of-pearl inlay, resin, and lacquer—reflect both Western abstraction and deep influence from traditional Japanese craft and aesthetics, a sensibility first seeded during her formative years in Tokyo. Presented in dialogue with selections of Japanese prints and a kimono from the Museum’s Sharing Collection, this program situates Lorenz’s material language within broader artistic and cultural lineages, offering insight into