What happens when your home is slipping away, swallowed by rising tides and shifting histories? For Janie Stamm, a queer Jewish artist from Florida now living in small-town Missouri, the answer lies in art.
Her latest exhibition, “Wet Garden,” transforms neon-soaked nostalgia, gas station souvenirs and deep-sea fishing aesthetics into a haunting tribute to the Florida she grew up in—a Florida at risk of vanishing. Through embroidery, assemblage and found objects, Stamm creates a world where queer culture, Jewish heritage and environmental memory intertwine.
“Wet Garden” is now on view at the High Low Gallery as part of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation’s programming and runs through April 6. She will host an artist talk on March 1 at The Listening Room at High Low (3301 Washington Ave.), offering insights into her work and process.
A new home in an unexpected place
Pacific, Mo. may not be where you’d expect a Jewish artist from Florida to settle, but for Stamm, who moved there with her fiancé in late 2023 after living in south St. Louis, it has become home.
“My whole life I dreamt about living more rural, surrounded by nature. I love it out here,” Stamm says. “I’m in awe of the diversity of flora and fauna in our neck of the woods. I’m grateful for the darkness at night, the access to protected lands and, of course, Bigfoot—the monster truck and Pacific’s beloved mascot.”
Despite the change in scenery, her work remains deeply tied to Florida’s disappearing landscapes and queer spaces.
A deeply Jewish perspective on loss and preservation
At first glance, it may not be obvious, but Stamm’s Jewish identity is woven throughout her work. Born in Miami Beach to two New York Jewish parents, she grew up immersed in Jewish traditions that continue to shape her art.
“A lot of my work ties into themes and stories from the Torah and Jewish culture,” Stamm says. “A few years back, I did a small series of golden beadwork embroideries exploring the connection between the story of the golden calf and the idolization of sea life and beach culture. I’ve also explored the use of the shroud in Jewish culture and have incorporated it into my work—covering objects with gauzy fabric as a sign of respect and holiness.”
For the past year and a half, she has been planning a future body of work examining the invisibility of antisemitism.
“Jewish history, like Florida’s natural history, has always been at risk of erasure,” she says. “My work is a way of preserving both.”
A love letter to a sinking home
Stamm’s art explores climate change and cultural memory, reflecting on loss and preservation. Her work asks: What happens to a place—and its people—when it vanishes beneath the waves?
“I’ve realized that all of my art is dedicated to where I come from,” Stamm says. “This show feels like my way of recreating home here.”
Stamm combines embroidery, assemblage and found objects—each holding its own history, like the fading landscapes she honors. Gas station souvenirs, deep-sea fishing aesthetics and queer imagery create an altar to a lost Florida.
The personal artifacts that make “Wet Garden” a diary of Florida
For Stamm, shells and photos are the show’s most personal elements, documenting her Florida roots—from a high school snorkeling trip to coastal bird photos in 2024. Collected sand, shells and beach fragments create a tactile diary of her time in wild Florida.
Bringing Florida to the Midwest
Though deeply tied to Florida, Stamm has exhibited there only once. Instead, St. Louis has become an unexpected home for her work, where audiences connect with its nostalgic themes.
Inspired by Florida’s gas station gift shops—filled with seashell trinkets and neon souvenirs—”Wet Garden” reimagines these artifacts in a haunting future where Florida is submerged, its history preserved in a glowing aquifer and scattered relics.
“I appreciate my St. Louis audience so much. They keep me wanting to bring more sun-drenched, shell-centered works to the Midwest,” Stamm says.
What: “Wet Garden”
When: Through April 6
Where: High Low Gallery, 3301 Washington Ave., 63103
Info: Artist talk on March 1 at The Listening Room at High Low
