Doug DeWitt is a Chicago-area artist and ecologist whose found-object sculptures, drawings, environmental land art and video are inspired by natural history and Midwest landscapes. Originally from Ohio, DeWitt spent many childhood hours exploring his grandparents’ farm buildings and catching crawdads in the creek near his home. He received a BFA in graphic design from Bowling Green State University in 1985, then moved to New England to experience the coastal landscape while working in Boston. Returning to the Midwest, DeWitt earned an MA from Illinois State University in 1990. He designed exhibits at the Field Museum of Natural History and John G. Shedd Aquarium, both in Chicago, where his love of nature, science and history merged with his art. DeWitt exhibits throughout the Chicago region and elsewhere. He is currently an ecologist and land manager with a private firm that restores prairies, woodlands and wetlands in the Chicago region, a profession that continues to inspire his art.

Image: Doug DeWitt, Primordial Element, 2019.