Beyond “Us and Them”:
Art Making with Invasive Plants
Pursuing a shift in mindset that replaces hate and fear with a productive, experimental relationship.
My approach reframes invasive plants not solely as threats to be eradicated, but as material agents in a site-responsive, experimental practice. By transforming these species into sources of pigment and form, the work asks how creative engagement might shift relationships of fear and hostility toward attentiveness, responsibility, and care—without denying ecological harm.
Approach
This process-based inquiry will culminate in:
An outdoor installation of stencil murals along the Hawthorne Valley Farm Biodiversity Trail in Ghent, NY, created using only materials gathered through careful, on-site collection.
An illustrated art zine titled Beakuency: Meet Bird-Friendly Farmers in Hudson Valley!, featuring imagery made with invasive plants, and hands-on paint-making-from-invasive-species workshops developed with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties that highlight local agricultural conservation and explore coexistence and diversity.
Practice
If you are interested in learning more about these experiments and thoughts on these materials, please visit my blog here.
Fabric
Making fabric using fiber from Oriental Bittersweet, learning from the long tradition of plant fiber fabric making in Japan.
Lake Pigment
Making natural pigments from invasive plants such as: Multiflora Rose, Toringo Crab Apple, Common Buckthorn, Japanese Barberry, Honeysuckle, collected with guidance from professionals.
Gallery
