Hemlock Hospice Opening at Harvard Forest

Hemlock Hospice, a year-long, outdoor, site-specific sculpture installation and accompanying indoor art exhibition by David Buckley Borden in collaboration with Aaron M. Ellison, opens Harvard University’s Harvard Forest and in its Fisher Museum on Saturday, October 7. 

Hemlock Hospice tells the story of the ongoing demise of the eastern hemlock tree at the hands (and mouth) of a tiny aphid-like insect, the hemlock wooly adelgid from Asia. Hemlock Hospice contextualizes hemlock decline in the broader context of climate change, local effects of our global economy on the natural world, and environmental impacts of our consumer culture.

Hemlock Hospice blends science, art, and design to [1] respect eastern hemlock and its ecological role as a foundation forest species; [2] promote an understanding of the adelgid; and [3] encourage empathetic conversations among all the sustainers of and caregivers for our forests—ecologists and artists, foresters and journalists, naturalists and citizens—while fostering social cohesion around ecological issues. 

If you would like to join the conversation and help spread the word about how artists and communities can work together to play an active role in preserving our environment, please contact us for more details.

Harvard Forest Project Featured in Range Magazine

I'm delighted to have new Harvard Forest work from ongoing Bullard Fellowship featured in new issue of Range Magazine. Thanks again to team Range for supporting the work. Read the article online here. 

Save the Date: Saturday, October 7th, 2017

Save the Date for the opening reception of Hemlock Hospice, an art-based interpretive trail at the Harvard Forest. The interdisciplinary collaborative art and design project, part of my year-long Bullard Fellowship at Harvard, is focused on the decline of the eastern hemlock in New England. Event includes interpretive art trail opening, open studio, and exhibition in the Fisher Museum. Event will take place from 12 noon to 4PM on Saturday, October 7th at the Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA. 

Widow Maker Silkscreen Fund Raiser Print

Widow Maker Danger! Three color silkscreen print with Trifecta Editions on white textured "Pesto" brand paper is now available here. The Hemlock Hospice project print is signed and numbered. Edition of 20. Print sale proceeds pay Hemlock Hospice collaborating creatives, including fabricators and production assistants. 

A Little Help Wanted

Summer Studio Vibes.  I am looking for a couple production artists/designers to contribute to the Hemlock Hospice project at the Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA. Room and board plus $500/week...in August/September. Specifically, I am looking for folks with experience in sewing (large format canvas pieces) and some burly woodsy carpentry in the field. Please share with your talented people. Email for details. Thank You.

Summer Installation at Harvard Forest

Hemlock Hospice wayfinding installation, made from Harvard Forest eco trash with Dr. Aaron Ellison and REU student Salua Rivero. Wayfinding to be used for arts-based interpretive trial focused on declining hemlock forests due to invasive insects including hemlock woolly adelgid.

Group Show in LA

I’ll exhibit a half dozen works in LA next week. Catch it if you can: Subaru Presents a Range Group Show, “The Open Pass” at alldayeveryday, DTLA Arts District. Open to the public June 17-20, 2017.

Tell New England Feature

I'm honored by the thoughtful writing and beautiful photography by Tell New England's Jenn Bakos and Ashley Herrin Merging. They covered the Harvard Forest open-studio for their Flora Issue. Fantastic images feature ongoing collaborations with Harvard researchers and creatives Jack Byers, Benjamin Carlso, Trifecta Edition and more. The online piece can be viewed here. 

Harvard Forest Interview

My Bullard Fellowship project images are being periodically updated to the Harvard Forest online archives. Given the educational intent of the work, the Harvard Forest and I welcome folks to use the images for their outreach and education efforts. A Q&A about this year-long project can also be found here. As always, I welcome folks to follow the project on Instagram for frequent creative developments and updates. 

Interview at the Neue Guild

I'm grateful for the opportunity to discuss my creative practice, including my ongoing work at the Harvard Forest, with Janna Kauss at the Neue Guild this week. The Neue Guild is a nice professional resource for interdisciplinary creatives...including feral landscape designers like myself. You can read my Q&A, along with other interesting designers, here.

Open Studio at Harvard Forest on April 29th

I will be hosting a public open studio at the Harvard Forest on Saturday, April 29, 2017 from 12 to 4pm. All are welcome to view and discuss ongoing work both in and outside the studio. 

This open studio event marks the halfway point of my Charles Bullard Fellowship in which I’m an embedded designer collaborating with Harvard Forest scientists to create science-communication projects for ongoing research initiatives. More information about my Harvard Forest project, including an interview, can be found here.

Visitors to the open studio should park in the main Harvard Forest lot and visit the Fisher Museum for easy walking directions to studio on Prospect Hill Road.

*Please note: Do not try to drive to the Forest by typing "Harvard Forest" into a GPS. You must enter the address: 324 North Main Street, Petersham, MA. Otherwise, your GPS may lead you straight to the center of Tom’s Swamp. Directions available here. 

Berkshire Environmental Endowment Grant with Hoosic River Revival

I honored to received a grant with the Hoosic River Revival from the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. The Berkshire Environmental Endowment Grant will help fund an art installation along the Hoosic River in North Adams, MA. The community-driven installation is part of an ongoing awareness campaign for a clean, accessible, and safe Hoosic River. The installation will build off work from my 2016 Studio's at MASS MoCA residency. Special thanks to folks from the Hoosic River Revival, Williams College, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, MASS MoCA and Sasaki Associates for sharing their insight, research and passion and laying the groundwork for this project.

Water Rights Open Studio

Join us for the Santa Fe Art Institute "Water Rights" Open Studio on Friday, March, 24, 2017, 530-645PM (pre-game to SFAI140 event). I'll have drawings (digi and paper) for viewing and critique. Plus a dozen other residents' work will be on view. Cheese and wine. Location: SFAI, 1600 Saint Michaels Drive, Santa Fe, NM. 

Harvard Gazette Feature

I am honored to have my Bullard Fellowship project at the Harvard Forest featured in the Harvard Gazette this past week. Read the article by Alvin Powell here to learn more about the project background, goals, and first public open studio on Saturday, April 29, from 12-4pm at my temporary Harvard Forest studio in Petersham, MA.. 

Water RIghts Now and Future

This March I will be "Water Rights" resident at the Santa Fe Art Institute in Santa Fe, NM. I will use the month-long themed residency to investigate regional water rights issues through the lens of landscape futures, policy, and speculative design. Local folks engaged/interested in these ideas, please reach out. More information on the project can be found here.

I'll return to Harvard Forest in April for the second half of my Bullard Fellowship...kind of like a half time show, but productive. 

Open Studio at Harvard Forest

Mark your calendars: I will be hosting an open studio at the Harvard Forest (324 N. Main Street, Petersham, MA 01366). on Saturday, April 29, 2017 from 12 to 4pm. All are welcome to view and discuss ongoing work both in and outside the studio. Light refreshments will be served. 

New Year, New Work.

Testing 123 (design studies, prototypes, and tests).  New Year; new funaday-inspired series of design studies for the month of January. Daily creative output inspired by this fall's research at Harvard Forest can be followed on instagram and facebook. 

Paid Summer Internship at Harvard Forrest

Title: Hemlock Hospice; Arts-based science-communication of a declining species at Harvard Forest

Summer Supervisors: David Borden; Aaron Ellison

Researchers: Aaron Ellison

Project Description: This unique multidisciplinary project is an opportunity to explore and test the theory and collaborative practice of arts-based science communication with ongoing research at Harvard Forest. This research project aims to bring together relevant scientific, historical, literary, and artistic information that bear on forest dynamics. For example, scientific data from paleoecology, land-use history, disturbance, succession, and invasive species will be linked with writings in environmental literature, objects and installations of environmental art, and design precedents. 

For this summer project, we will focus on hemlock forests in New England. Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) forests are declining in abundance as they are colonized by an exotic insect, the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae). As the hemlock woolly adelgid expands its range throughout the eastern United States, hemlocks are being killed and replaced by other tree species. The decline and subsequent loss of this foundation tree species is hypothesized to have strong effects on plant and animal communities and ecosystem processes. 

Hemlock Hospice is a student opportunity to research the theory and practice of science-communication. In addition to ecology, weekly meetings will also include discussions on installation art, communication design, design research and user-experience design within the context of science-communication. Weekly readings provide a foundation into past, current, and future trends of public engagement with science, specifically ecology and forestry. This research will include an exploration of new ideas and communication modes to move science communication forward. In particular, as a group, we will collectively explore the question, “How can art and design support science-communication to foster cultural cohesion around ecological issues and help inform ecology-minded decision making.”

The student will be co-mentored by artist-in-residence, David Buckley Borden and Senior Ecologist, Aaron Ellison on a studio-based science-communication collaboration and directly contribute to a mixed-media art project within the Harvard Forest. Over the course of the summer, the student will help create a variety of creative 2D and 3D art projects focused on communicating HWA research. 2D visual art work may include wayfinding, signage, and outreach and exhibition materials. 3D art work will include site-specific installation projects, i.e. small to medium sculptures within the landscape. 

Desired skills:
The student should have an interest in ecology, science-communication, art, and design. 
Some experience in digital design tools (Adobe Creative Suite, AutoCAD).
Fabrication experience with built works in the outdoor environment a big plus.

REU internship program details here.

Arts in Research Universities

I am delighted to participate in the upcoming Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities Annual National Conference. I look forward to sharing my Harvard Forest fellowship experience as a panelist on Ecological Reflections: Integrating the Arts and Humanities with Science at Long Term Ecological Research Sites. Details about the panel and conference can be found on the a2Ru website. 

Parts Unknown Flag Show

I'm delighted to contribute to the Parts Unknown Flag Show, curated by Brian Butler and Trifecta Editions, at the Aviary Gallery (48 South Street, JP, MA, 02130). I'll have one Harvard Forest inspired conservation flag (a collaboration with Jackie Barry of Denver-based Front Range Flag) and one silkscreen companion print on view. I plan to come out of the woods for the opening reception on October 6th from 6-9pm. The show runs through month of October.