There is a very cool exhibit at the Louisiana Arts and Sciences Museum (LASM) here in downtown Baton Rouge. It is both educational and beautiful, combining both natural sciences and modern art. It seems that Megan Singleton and I are on the same wavelength, as I had come to a similar idea not too long ago: make art and education out of noxious invasives. The exhibit brings attention to the growing threat of invasive plants in our local wetlands. The exhibit is open until March 15 and I highly encourage you to go check it out, if you have the chance. You could also write Ms. Singleton and the LASM to thank them for their wonderful work. These kinds of public environmental education projects need all the support they can get. Megan Singleton has her own website and has done much art in her career. You can visit that and thank her by clicking HERE.
From the LASM website:
"Manchac: In the Wake of North Pass
explores the destructive beauty and complex role of invasive aquatic
plants upon the fragile ecology of Louisiana's bayous. Singleton
researched the state's waterways and traveled by canoe to collect the
Water Hyacinth and Alligator Weed that she transformed, first into paper
and then into evocative pulp paintings and sculptural works. A video
comprised of over 500 still photographs of water and a large-format
handmade book provide further insight into the artist's process. A
native of St. Louis, Singleton received her MFA in sculpture from LSU in
2012."
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| Background info on the exhibit. |
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| A surreal three-dimensional piece representing aquatic plants that makes you feel like you are swimming in water. The material is a kind of paper machet made from water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) and alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides) |
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| A tumbleweed-like dried plant, mounted to brass, like a hunter's trophy. Lauren and I waxed-botanic about this one for a moment. I think that is is a sea rocket (Cakile sp.). |
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| Lauren checking out a book of photographs depicting the terrible beauty of a land suffering from invasion. Printed on handmade paper. |
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| One of my favorite pages in the book. Notice Chinese Tallow (Triadica sebifera) to the right... |
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| A little booklet on invasive species with quotes from our very own Kelby Ouchley of Bayou Diversity. |
Lauren Hull and I (past presidents and partners in crime) went together to check it out and by the end or our trip were feeling very inspired.
I think we will be writing Ms. Singleton very soon to thank her for her
work and to see if she has in future plans working with invasive
species as art.
Perhaps she'd be interested in the idea that I had some time ago to make art from Chinese Tallow. If you are not already aware, Chinese Tallow is an invasive tree that is decimating our wetlands in Louisiana, by crowding out native species and altering soil characteristics. Once diverse bottomlands with upwards of 50 different species of hardwoods or slowly becoming single species stands of tallow, especially in the wake of human disturbance and clearcutting. It has a more visible and dramatic impact on our endangered coastal prairies. In these areas in Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas, grasslands are turning into single-species forest, altering fuel loads and making prescribed fires difficult, removing habitat for threatened and endangered plants and animals such as the Attwater Prairie Chicken and confusing spring migratory birds, who come to rest in these trees after crossing the gulf to find forests with few invertebrates to feed on. To read more on the damage follow this link to the US Fish and Wildlife Services. Chinese Tallow also happens to be a plant with over 1000 years of ethnobotanical history in China and has been used to make candles, dyes, print blocks, furniture, wooding carvings and more.
Perhaps she'd be interested in the idea that I had some time ago to make art from Chinese Tallow. If you are not already aware, Chinese Tallow is an invasive tree that is decimating our wetlands in Louisiana, by crowding out native species and altering soil characteristics. Once diverse bottomlands with upwards of 50 different species of hardwoods or slowly becoming single species stands of tallow, especially in the wake of human disturbance and clearcutting. It has a more visible and dramatic impact on our endangered coastal prairies. In these areas in Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas, grasslands are turning into single-species forest, altering fuel loads and making prescribed fires difficult, removing habitat for threatened and endangered plants and animals such as the Attwater Prairie Chicken and confusing spring migratory birds, who come to rest in these trees after crossing the gulf to find forests with few invertebrates to feed on. To read more on the damage follow this link to the US Fish and Wildlife Services. Chinese Tallow also happens to be a plant with over 1000 years of ethnobotanical history in China and has been used to make candles, dyes, print blocks, furniture, wooding carvings and more.
The idea I had was to pair conservationists with a diverse group
of artists, some from LSU and some from the community at large, to visit some invaded sites and see the damage. Give them the opportunity (if they choose and are interested) to help remove invasive and replant natives, but mostly provide them with free materials to make the art and to showcase it in a public art exhibit located in a prominent gallery with high traffic. With a nice opening reception, I think this could be a real success in terms of both bringing diverse audiences into conversation and having a grand ole' time.
What do you think? As an artist myself who has been working in conservation for several years now, I long for the opportunity to get my hands dirty again with paint... and soil too!
For more information on Megan Singleton's exhibit visit: http://www.lasm.org/exhibitions-collection/art-exhibitions/
