Title
Subtext
Inka Essenhigh (American, born 1969)
Forest with Dappled Light, 2022
Enamel on canvas
40 x 50 inches
Collection of the Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, Maine Museum purchase, Lynne Drexler Acquisition Fund, 2022.30
The reason I picked this song is because it has a very soothing melody and makes me calm. The music creates a peaceful background that matches the painting perfectly. I think the title is portrayed in this painting with the whimsical and fantasy-like world shown in the artwork. The artist created a magical place that feels like it belongs in a storybook, which is exactly what the music makes me feel like, too.
When I first saw the painting, it gave me feelings of calmness, mystery, and magic. It doesn't just look like a regular painting. It feels like a whole living world captured inside the frame. Looking at it makes me feel curious and quiet. The colors bring everything together with warm, bright, and darker colors. They show a mix of emotions much like the song as well.
—Jace Bostrom
I think this song matches this artwork because I see a path leading into the unknown, wind everywhere you go, sending trees swaying into the beyond. You feel fear and warmth which make you feel confused and wearied.
This place also reminds you of lost love as you walk down it’s gloomy and mysterious path. The lyrics match this feeling.
—Jeffrey Demeules
I chose the song “Futile Devices” because I felt like it went well with the artwork. The song has a very calm and soothing sound to it, and it gave me a peaceful feeling.
I feel like the sound and artwork go together because they give off quiet, relaxing vibe.When I listened to it, I could actually picture myself looking at that artwork.
When I was choosing the sound, I paid attention to how it made me feel. It also reminds me of old nostalgic memories from a childhood book.
This one felt like a good choice because it makes the feel more special and I think other people will get the same peaceful/nostalgic feeling when they see it and listen to the song.
—Salma Hassan
The song is happy and the art is happy. The art is green and the song reminds me of green.
The song is happy because it’s smooth, fast paced, and not too loud. The meaning of the song is a motivational one about people getting bullied and how to get out of that. The song also reminds people they are not alone.
When I look at the color green I think of grass and nature and those two things calm and relax me. The bright green in the front really stands out and feels happy and even more so against the dark green in the back.
The artwork also reminds me of shrek because of the color green.
—Jaycob Jonas
Dale Chihuly (American, born 1941)
Pergola Ceiling, 1999
Blown, tooled, and applied glass
96 x 96 x 24 inches
Cafesjian Art Trust Museum, 2022.0382.1. © Chihuly Studio
I first thought of this song once I saw the piece because of how both the song and artwork makes me think of summer. The colors of the artwork gives me summer vibes, and some of the shapes. When I looked closer at it, I noticed that some of the glass pieces looked like sea shells, and when I looked at the paper to the piece, the artist wrote that he makes his work based off nature and sea life.
—Chloe Hedman
The piece also made me feel very attracted to it because of the colors and designs, which made me think of the second song, Christina by Mirrar since the song is about attraction and desire. The designs on the pieces made it more pulling, honestly making me not want to look away, admiring it with finding new things almost every second.
—Chloe Hedman
I also thought of the song Something by the Beatles because the song is about wanting a specific person, which I thought of when I saw the artwork, wanting to work on it then any other one. In the song, the lyrics "Something in her style that shows me" resemble how I was attracted to the designs. I loved to look at designs on the glass pieces, and the glass pieces themselves, it was just really interesting how it looks.
When I first looked at this piece as well, the spiral-like designs that repeat on most of the glass pieces made me think of a trippy song; one that pulls you into it. I didn´t pick a song like it though because I couldn´t find one that represented it good enough, but when I looked at the songs I chose, I did realize that the attraction I felt in the artwork was like love in songs. I like how the songs linked up in my head before I even realized, making me think how much love the artist put into the pieces, and the meaning of it.
—Chloe Hedman
This song reminds me of summer and the warm weather and beautiful scenery of nature. It makes me go to a distinct memory in my mind from when I was younger and I was in the woods by myself and it was a nice warm day, but not too hot a day and I was looking for random cool stuff and I found a stick. Then, I looked to the side of me and there were five deer in the woods with me and we just sat there for a bit before they all ran off slowly hopping away. I just watched enjoying the silence and peacefulness of childhood when it was simpler times, even though it really wasn't, it was just more comfortable. It something I was used to and in a way this piece of artwork made me see I could be more than what I thought I was and I'll forever be glad I took that first step out of the life I knew because that's when I knew I could do more than I thought with the cards I’ve been dealt.
—Dakota Marlow
Amber Cowan (American, born 1981)
Willie the Mouse with Tractor and Train, 2023
Flameworked glass, found glass, wire, painted aluminum
24 × 19 1/2 × 10 1/2 inches
Cafesjian Art Trust Museum, 2023.008.1. © Amber Cowan
I like how this song talks about moths and butterflies, new and old, merging the two similar to how Amber Cowan made this piece. She took vintage glass pieces and didn’t change them but merged them with her own creativity to create something new and unique. To go more into that the word “Merge” means to combine, unite or blend two or more things into a single, uniform whole. I see how these 2 artists create very different kinds of art but still give the same message through their forms.
The music is giving a lighter beat mixing into a faster tempo, then it goes to a very childhood-like bounce beat. I see how this corresponds to the piece because just taking a look you can grasp it has that silly child-like aesthetic to it. Maybe a little mischievous in the sense of one thing doesn’t really fit into that piece! We see toys, flowers, mushrooms, leaves, bright colors, pearls, and cute little details! Then there’s a giant cake stand right in the middle! Very curious and silly, just like the beat to this song!
—Josephine Doll
This song makes me feel so calm and a bit curious at the same time, which reminds me of this artwork because of the soft colors in it and how you always have something new to focus your attention on. It keeps the looker intrigued and more curious.
This song and artwork also makes me wonder a lot of things about the artwork and the artist, like what were the artists inspirations for this, and how long does the process take? Does it ever get tiring? Does every piece feel like the first time? How long did it take before one of their artwork got recognized for what it was?
—Sahara Ali
Kate Clements (American, born 1989)
Stain, 2016
Kiln fired glass and monofilament
90 x 96 x 1/4 inches
Cafesjian Art Trust Museum, 2025.049.1
This music fits the sculpture because the story of the art is about corruption- how one thing can change your entire perspective. Handlebars also has a similar story behind it. It’s about how when you grow up, the innocence of childhood fades.
In the song, the beginning is innocent and kidlike. It boasts, “I can ride my bike with no handlebars”. In the middle, the speaker went from personal experiences to public influences- showing how charisma and media allow someone to sway in thoughts and actions.
“I can make my living off a magazine, I can lead a nation with a microphone.”
The final verse reveals the dark side of human capacity. “I can guide a missile by satellite. I can make a man go to prison because I don’t like him.”
—Ava Herzog
I chose the instrumental song “On the nature of daylight” by Max Richter to pair with the artwork. The overall mood of this song is heavy and, sad, and full of grief, but it also has a sense of beauty and hope mixed into it. Because there are no lyrics, the instruments have to do all the talking. The song uses a slow moving type of violins, a viola, and cellos. It repeats the same chords over and over again, building up a something that feels like a heavy weight pressing down on you. This slow tempo perfectly fits Stain.
—Abdi Jama
I chose this song because of the story behind the artwork. I feel like it’s a heavy piece that should have a rainy day slow vibe kind of song. I really love the guitar and his voice with this piece and how it feels very slow and quiet. This song came into my head immediately with how delicate the piece is and the red representing blood the piece feels like it needs to have a quieter slower song. “Clements explores the qualities shared by glass and the human body. Like glass, the body has resilience and strength, but it can also be destroyed with a single violent act.” I think the piece being made of glass is also representing how fragile a life can be but the flowers also show the beauty of it. The piece is made up of 43 separate pieces of glass. I think that could represent that there are so many different pieces of life.
—Sophia Sellwood
My reason for choosing FKA twigs’ “Cellophane”(specifically the live version at the Valentino show) is rooted in the striking similarities I see between the emotional atmosphere of the song and the visual language of the artwork. Both feel devastatingly feminine, dark, pristine, and incredibly fragile, almost as though they could shatter with the slightest touch. The artwork is composed of delicate, intricate pieces that come together to form what resembles a flower bleeding from the inside out. At first glance, its composition feels beautiful and almost ethereal, but the closer you look, the more you begin to notice something darker beneath its surface. There is a contrast between its delicate appearance and the sense of pain, destruction, and vulnerability that it seems to hold. That contradiction was one of the first things that drew me to the piece and ultimately influenced my song selection.
FKA twigs’ “Cellophane” carries that same contradiction. It is a beautiful yet gut wrenching emotional ballad that explores vulnerability, insecurity, the pressure of being exposed, and the emotional deterioration of a relationship under the weight of public scrutiny. The fragility in Twigs’ vocals, paired with the rawness of her delivery, makes the song feel almost translucent, as though we are witnessing someone slowly unravel in real time. I found myself drawn to the way the song captures the experience of being emotionally exposed while desperately trying to hold yourself together. To me, this reflects the artwork’s composition in a deeply meaningful way: something that appears delicate and beautiful on the outside while carrying an immense amount of pain beneath the surface.
Both pieces communicate a kind of beauty that exists alongside suffering, where fragility is not a weakness but an essential part of what makes something so moving. I chose Twigs song because I believe it captures the same haunting feeling as the artwork.
—Daniel Martinez
Emma Wood (Swedish American, born 1995)
Sju Blommor / Seven Flowers, 2023
Mold-blown, ground, and fused glass; preserved flowers
7 × 14 × 10 inches
Cafesjian Art Trust Museum, 2024.001.1
I chose this song because it reminds me of holding onto special memories and people. The artwork Seven Flowers has real flowers preserved inside clear glass. The flowers represent memories, dreams, and hope for the future.
I thought the song fit because it is about staying close to someone and not wanting to lose that connection. Both the song and the artwork show how important it is to hold onto things that means a lot to us.
I also chose this song because the flowers are kept safe in the glass like special memories. The line, “Birds of a feather, we should stick together” connects to keeping people and memories close.
—Ceci Stickney-Jafvert
Selecting Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" is the perfect choice to go with Emma Woods' painting, The Seven Flowers, at the CAT Museum in Minnesota. In this artwork, the clean lines come from the sharp shapes of the flower petals and the neat layout of the painting, which match the organized, structured notes of Mozart’s string instruments. The bright light that glows across the canvas looks like a sunny day, and this matches the high, bright pitch of the violins that lead the song. This mix of bright color and clean design gives the artwork a very cheerful mood, which pairs perfectly with the happy, smiling melody of the classical music. Ultimately, both the music and the art feel totally balanced and full of happy energy, making the viewer feel upbeat while looking at the piece.
My thought process for choosing this song focused on how people actually walk around and experience a museum gallery. Since Mozart originally wrote this piece as light background music for parties, it has a fun and welcoming vibe instead of sounding heavy or dramatic. The bouncy beat and fast tempo create a great rhythm that matches the footsteps of visitors walking through the Minnesota museum to look at Woods' work. By looking at the song's driving rhythm and bouncy notes, I realized this sound would keep the gallery from feeling quiet or boring. I chose this song because it brings the Seven Flowers to life, letting the happy energy on the canvas dance along with the music in the room.
—Masoud Hussein
I chose this song because of the strong link between the song and the artwork. The artwork is a glass pillow with 7 flowers underneath; representing a ritual where you place flowers underneath your pillow to bring dreams of your future husband. I chose the song dreams by the cranberries because of the overall dreaminess of the artwork, and the meaning behind the song; which is the emotional rush, wonder, and vulnerability of falling in love for the first time. The lyric that solidifies this for me is “And oh my dreams, it’s never quite as it seems, ‘cause you’re a dream to me." The overall theme behind the song being about the dreaminess of love & the artwork being about dreaming for love connected heavily for me.
—Ella Grant-O’Meara
Amanda Michelle Smith (American)
When Trauma Comes to Town, 2025
Glazed ceramic, oil paint
16 × 21 1/16 × 1 1/4 inches
Cafesjian Art Trust Museum , 2025.044.1
I chose this song because it brings out the wonder and curiosity of the painting. It shows a young girl walking alone through the woods, and when it's paired with this song you can feel the depth of her emotions. It could represent betrayal or loneliness, as someone he knew turned into something he didn't recognize. The tempo picking up helps represent that girl gaining her color back, but the lyrics staying the same shows that she is still stuck in that moment, even though time has passed.
Something that was such a big event in your life is now fading away, but it never really leaves your mind. The girl is surrounded by color and natural beauty but she's still being pulled down by something she’s scared of. The inspiring music at the end shows the hope that she will keep gaining her color back and eventually move on, even if she never completely forgets what happened.
—Haley Bostrom
Erica Rosenfeld (American, born 1975)
Reverie Forest: Sanctuary for Strange Creatures, 2026
Found objects, blown glass, wallpaper, fabric, and mixed media
Courtesy of the artist and Heller Gallery
I chose the song “Love Don’t Change” by Jeremiah because The rhythm is calm and the beats `are slow and calming. It makes it peaceful like the art because the art has nature in it and nature is peaceful and calm like the song.
—Hunter Ludwig
It matches its blend of nostalgic, shared emotional architecture that includes a heavy, hypnotic state of dreamlike contemplation while balancing the isolation with comforting beauty. The song opens with a famous sliding pitch and a slow, cycling chord progression played on high strings, the repetitive song acts like lulling the brain into a trance.
Two parallels with both the song and art work is the structure of a loop. The song relies on a hypnotic unchanging of its rhythm that just repeats, the song and repetitive provides a sense of familiar stability. The second one being the atmosphere. The song track uses a heavy audio reverb and delay that washes out the sharp edges of the guitar that makes other instruments blend into one another, while the artwork relies on atmosphere perspective, the mist, fog, and the shading.
—Stefany Dubon Cordova
Hannah Secord Wade (American, born 1981)
Underground, 2022
Acrylic on linen
60 x 48 inches
Collection of the Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, Maine Museum purchase, Lynne Drexler Acquisition Fund, 2022.31
I chose the song “Many Times” by Blue Imagined because I felt it matched the aesthetic of the art work. I’d describe it as a more gloomy acquired taste.
—Jordan Roy
I chose this song because of the lyrics and the matching tone.
The lyrics of the song say, “Alone at the edge of the universe”
“The stars were made for falling like melting obelisks as tall as another realm”
The cave looks empty and isolated. Almost as if someone walked into a world separate from reality.
“You look quite divine tonight here among these vibrant lights. Pure delights surround us as we sail.” The lyrics say, “vibrant lights” and in the painting the cave has a lot of vibrant colorful lights.
“No one left at stake now that existence is on the wake. Let's see what we can make. The part is wholly ending a line in any final song. So long so far we will be atoning at last eternal through the past.” These lyrics seem to show or talk about a new beginning. The Cave seems like it could be a new beginning. It looks untouched like there has been no civilization. It is an untouched new world.
The overall song itself is more of a slower paced song. This matches the painting because it is a relaxing and calm tone that still makes you curious and makes you think, “What is it like alone at the edge of the universe?”
—Karter Hostetler
Carrie Mae Weems
Untitled (Box Spring in Tree), 1992
Gelatin silver print
Edition 7 of 10 + 2 APs
20 3/4 x 20 3/4 x 11/2 inches
Courtesy the artist and Gladstone Gallery
I chose this song because much like the artwork, it sounds chaotic and all over the place at first, but when you listen closer you start to notice more intricate and interesting details like the different instruments. In the same way, as you are farther away from the artwork it kind of looks like noise or static, but as you get closer you can see more detail like the box spring and the trees. It also reflects the artwork in that it starts off like I said, chaotic, but towards the middle of the song it strips away some of the instruments and becomes more peaceful and atmospheric, but then returns to chaos after a little bit. I think that reflects the artwork because it kind of models how you would see it from farther away, walk up to it to investigate and see the details, and then as you walk away it goes back to chaos and noise.
Another reason the song fits for this artwork is it (at least in my imagination) mimics the story of how the artist got the photograph, as she snuck on to an island that was going to be clear cut and bulldozed disguising herself as a laborer, which mirrors the chaotic part at the beginning of the song. Then, the more peaceful atmospheric part represents starting to explore the island and looking for something interesting. Next, the part of the song where the church organ comes in reflects taking the photo by being the big focal point and climax of the visit to the island. Finally, the return to the chaos and noise at the end would be like leaving the island, having to sneak out and not get caught again.
—Roman Buzan
I picked this song because it was made in black and white just like the picture.
—Kevin Davidson
Christina Bothwell (American, born 1960)
Butterflies, 2012
Cast glass, paint
10 x 12 x 26 inches
Cafesjian Art Trust Museum, 2022.0297.1
The song makes references to flowers, greenery, and daylight which I think coincides with the visual theme of the statue I chose (Butterflies by Christina Bothwell). The song itself is sad though, there are lyrics about waiting at hospital beds, and worrying all the time. Those lyrics connect a lot to the actual meaning behind the sculpture which is a mother fearing over her daughters health.
—Charlotte Grant-O’Meara
The soft features of the pink and purples in the glass add a ghostly, graceful presence. They also show the love of the daughter and mother.
The song I chose was for the fact that it’s about a mom wanting good for her daughter and hoping new doors always open.
—Kalyssa Shultz
Nancy Wissemann-Widrig (American, born 1929)
Garden as Metaphor, 1985
Oil on canvas
51 3/4 x 51 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches
Collection of the Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, Maine
Bequest of Mrs. Elizabeth B. Noyce, 1997.3.54
I did that song because I felt a match with the way that the image makes me feel rather than how it looks. Looking at the drawing, I feel very calm and relaxed as if I was within the painting. I also liked the way that the painting looked, it didn't look like a flat canvas because of the almost grainy texture.
I made my decision because I felt as though it was very pretty and I was appealed by it. I felt like it was appealing to the eye and with what I like so it made it easier to make my choice.
—Carmella Reid
Nancy Wissemann-Widrig (American, born 1929)
Garden as Metaphor, 1985
Oil on canvas
51 3/4 x 51 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches
Collection of the Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, Maine
Bequest of Mrs. Elizabeth B. Noyce, 1997.3.54
I chose the song Tank Killer by Man Is The Bastard. This song is very frantic and noisy and is a very short song (31 seconds). I think it fits the one side of this really cool piece, the face looks like it's showing signs of distress and being trapped. The song is about war and seeing tanks on fire, one section of lyrics says “Men On Fire - Generals Laughing”. When I hear this lyric and look at the artwork, I picture the face of a soldier who is trapped in war and is forced to fight for the rich men at the top.
—Ian Carlson
For the other side of the artwork, I chose Summer Love by The Blackbyrds. This side of the artwork I believe represents peace and reflection. The single Damselfly flying over the flowers is a scene that I think this song captures really well. The way the twinkle parts in the song i picture the damsel fly flowing over these beautiful views. The colors of the artwork match the song as well, I picture flowers blooming to this song.
—Ian Carlson
I think the song Peace & Happiness goes best with the art piece I chose because the vibes of the song are similar to the vibes of the art. The song is pretty calm and mellow, it's not too upbeat or too sad. The lyrics are about finding peace and happiness which I think goes well with the flowers and nature that are shown in the art piece. All of the different instruments also fit well with the art.
This song was written and sung by Evan Felker who is the lead singer and song writer of the band Turnpike Troubadours but he also has some of his own songs that he releases apart from the band. Evan Felker and Turnpike Troubadours reference nature and the being outdoors in a lot of their songs. They also have done quite a bit of conservation work. I saw Turnpike live in Minneapolis when they teamed up with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and did a concert for conservation. The concert raised over $100,000 that was put towards preserving wildlife habitats for upland birds and other conservation. Paul Stankard, the man who created the art piece that I chose said he was really intrigued by the woods, swamps, flowers, and nature near his home in New Jersey. Both Evan Felker and Paul Stankard show their appreciation of nature through their art whether it be creating music or making sculptures out of glass.