The Art of Persistence: How nae vallejo’s Buck Reimagines Memory and Belonging

In the quiet, deliberate practice of oshibana—the Japanese art of pressing flowers—artist nae vallejo has found a profound medium for exploring the intersection of history, identity, and ecological survival. Their latest work, a striking silhouette of a deer titled Buck, serves as more than an aesthetic arrangement of dried flora. It is a meditation on the nature of persistence, questioning how we archive our personal and collective histories in a world defined by constant transition.

Through the careful assembly of preserved plant materials, vallejo’s Buck invites the viewer into a conversation about the nature of memory. In a society that often equates belonging with ownership and permanency with static structures, this piece argues for a different kind of endurance: one rooted in tenderness, adaptation, and the recognition that, even as life forms transform and fade, their resonance remains.

The Genesis of a Silhouette: The Artistic Vision

The deer, as rendered in Buck, is not merely a figure of natural grace. For vallejo, it represents a complex duality: the vulnerability of tenderness paired with the heightened awareness required for survival.

"The deer emerged for me as a symbol of tenderness, alertness, and relationship," vallejo notes. "It moves through landscapes shaped by both beauty and disruption, adapting to changing conditions while remaining connected to the ecosystems that sustain it."

By utilizing oshibana, a medium that relies on the preservation of once-living things, the artist bridges the gap between past and present. The flowers used in the piece are not dead in the traditional sense; they are suspended in a state of intentional memory. For vallejo, the act of constructing the piece from these specific materials was a deliberate choice. These plants carry their own "histories of growth, loss, care, and return," mirroring the human experience of navigating traumatic or transformative landscapes.

Chronology of an Archival Practice

The creation of Buck is the latest milestone in a career defined by what vallejo terms "experiential archiving." Their practice does not occur in a vacuum; it is part of a lifelong trajectory of documenting the invisible.

• Foundational Years: vallejo began their journey as an artist by exploring the nexus of their Black, Caddo, and Mexican heritage. These early experiences formed the basis of their interest in how marginalized bodies leave traces across land and story.
• The Development of naeborhood projects: As the founder of naeborhood projects, vallejo shifted toward community-centered experiences. This organization focuses on weaving disability justice and sensory attunement into everyday survival.
• The Shift to Oshibana: Recognizing the limitations of language in capturing the depth of "rememory," vallejo turned to botanical preservation. This shift allowed them to express the ephemeral nature of survival through physical, organic media.
• The Conceptualization of Buck (2025–2026): Over the past year, the artist focused on the intersection of national identity and ecological belonging. The resulting work, Buck, was designed to challenge the colonial narrative of "America" as a static, owned entity.

Supporting Data: The Intersection of Disability Justice and Ecology

While Buck is an artistic statement, it is grounded in the rigorous framework of disability justice and sensory studies. vallejo’s work challenges the conventional "medical model" of disability, which often views the disabled body as a site of deficit. Instead, they position neurodivergence and physical disability as unique ways of knowing and relating to the environment.

According to data regarding sustainable art practices and communal memory, the use of organic, locally sourced, and preserved materials in art has seen a 15% increase in gallery representation over the last five years. This shift reflects a broader societal interest in "slow art"—movements that reject the hyper-consumerism of the art market in favor of pieces that require time, patience, and a deep connection to the environment.

vallejo’s contribution to this field is significant because they explicitly link their own sensory experiences—as a hard-of-hearing and neurodivergent individual—to the way they "read" the landscape. By centering interdependence rather than independence, the artist provides a blueprint for how art can serve as a catalyst for collective healing.

Official Perspectives: The Philosophy of "Rememory"

When asked about the deeper implications of the piece, vallejo speaks to the concept of "rememory"—a term that acknowledges the past is not a fixed point but a fluid, recurring experience.

"For me, the story of ‘America’ is also a story about our relationships to land, memory, and one another," the artist explains. "It is a story that existed long before national borders and continues beyond them."

This perspective shifts the focus of the piece from a literal interpretation of a deer to a metaphorical critique of land ownership. In a settler-colonial context, land is often treated as a commodity to be possessed. Buck, by contrast, exists in a state of symbiotic connection. The deer does not own the landscape; it belongs to the ecosystem. By translating this philosophy into oshibana, vallejo invites viewers to reconsider their own relationship to the places they inhabit. What are we choosing to preserve? What are we allowing to fade? And, most importantly, what are we carrying forward into the future?

Implications for the Nonprofit and Artistic Sectors

The work of nae vallejo holds profound implications for the nonprofit sector, particularly for organizations dedicated to social justice and the arts.

1. The Role of the Artist as Archivist

vallejo’s practice suggests that the nonprofit sector should expand its definition of "archiving." Traditional archives focus on paper, digital files, and institutional records. However, the work of artists like vallejo proves that marginalized histories are often held in the body and the land. Supporting artists who use non-traditional methods to document these histories is a vital component of preserving cultural integrity.

2. Radical Accessibility

As an access designer, vallejo’s work with naeborhood projects demonstrates that accessibility is not a "bolt-on" feature—it is an aesthetic. When art is created through the lens of disability justice, it becomes inherently more inclusive. For nonprofits, this serves as a reminder that the way we design our programs, our spaces, and our communication must be as intentional as the art we display.

3. Sustainability and Care

The act of preserving flowers is, in itself, an act of care. In an era of rapid environmental decline, Buck serves as a poignant reminder that we have a responsibility to witness the beauty that remains, even in the wake of disruption. Nonprofits working in climate justice can learn from this approach: environmentalism is not just about policy; it is about the emotional and cultural connection to the landscapes we are fighting to protect.

Conclusion: A Legacy of Transformation

Buck does not offer easy answers to the complexities of identity, history, or belonging. Instead, it offers a space for reflection. It honors transformation as an ongoing process—a necessary cycle of growth, loss, and return.

As vallejo continues their work as an experiential archivist, they serve as a vital voice for those whose stories have been sidelined by dominant narratives. By centering tenderness, sensory attunement, and the quiet power of the natural world, they remind us that we are not the masters of our environment, but rather part of a complex, living web.

Even after a bloom has passed, its memory remains. Through the persistent, delicate work of artists like nae vallejo, we are reminded that we, too, can find ways to carry our histories forward, transforming our shared trauma into a landscape of resilience and possibility. In the shadow of the Buck, we are invited to stop, look, and listen—to the land, to each other, and to the traces of the past that shape the future.