ArtRage Gallery
505 Hawley Ave., Syracuse

"No Man's Land: Reimagining the Myth of Cicero Swamp" offers a look into Cicero Swamp Wildlife Management Area, often known to locals as Rattlesnake Gulch. Cicero Swamp is a complex network of ecosystems that stretches across nearly 5,000 acres. The swamp was deemed a 'wasteland' throughout its early history, and local perception and myth evolved into attempts to drain and alter the swamp. Cicero Swamp is a sample of a larger story; throughout the history of the United States, wetlands were perceived by settlers as mysterious, dangerous, and evil. This perception has led to the draining and destruction of 50% of the nation's wetlands in the present day. "No Man's Land" glimpses into a wetland ecosystem through fibers and illustration, and attempts to combat bias and misconception of wetlands, particularly swamps; before it is too late.