Ana Flores, a local ecological artist who has been teaching ecological art at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts as a visiting artist over the last academic year, will be debuting her solo show "Vision Box Project" at the college Thursday.

The exhibit, which focuses on the relationship between humans and natural history, specifically that of Old Lyme, will feature four installations in the form of "vision boxes" in four separate locations around Old Lyme. It's an effort to showcase the history and stewardship measures taken in Old Lyme to preserve its beautiful landscapes. Flores was inspired by the early 20th-century American Impressionist art movement in Old Lyme and how it helped later ignite an interest in conserving the town's environment. Each "vision box" overlooks a different outdoor setting (a stream, a river or, perhaps, a sweeping scene) and seeks to frame, by standing in front of a box and looking through, these mostly untouched landscapes. A map detailing where the boxes are located can be found at www.newhaven.edu/lyme/exhibitions/.

Collaborators on the project include the Old Lyme Open Space Commission, Old Lyme Land Trust, Lyme Art Association and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

An opening reception will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the gallery, and the show will run through Sept. 8. The Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts is located at 84 Lyme St., Old Lyme; admission is free. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. and 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; (860) 434-5232, www.lymeacademy.edu. — Mary Biekert