Material Worlds

The "Material Worlds" retreat brings together four artists exploring sustainable materials and practices. Liz Atz will lead a workshop demonstrating her use of chitosan bioplastics to create artworks, spurring a larger conversation about how artists can envision and build truly sustainable futures in the studio and life.

Yan Cynthia Chen investigates biomaterials like paper pulp, clay and plaster to create uncanny abstract sculptures referencing the human body and systems of nature/culture. Kim Reinhardt explores intersections of anatomy, ecology, fiber, screenprinting and painting, working with natural dyes and conscious material sourcing. Nichole van Beek makes artwork from mycocomposites and kombucha biofilm - temporary pieces allowing natural decomposition over time. Through layered patterns, textures and letterforms, her works resemble maze-like compositions.

This immersive retreat will blend workshops, readings, sustainable art practices and community projects - all giving form to the artists' shared vision of more ecological and renewable "material world."