Nola Studiola is honored to host printmaker Pippin Frisbie–Calder as she embarks on a collaboration with biologist Dr. Tim McLean of Tulane University at New Orleans’ Studio in the Woods.
As saline content rises and the wetlands continue to reel from erosion and agricultural use, Gulf coast wetlands are increasingly threatened. Artist Pippin Frisbie-Calder believes these spaces must be observed an documented in order to increase awareness of these issues and to preserve a memory of what we have and may still lose.
Pippin’s cypress and wetland prints are large and grandiose to reflect the awe that is felt when standing next to majestic old and living cypress and hardwoods that have survived a century of human exploitation. Through images gathered in live sketching, photographs and research, she captures the raw natural beauty and abundant wildlife of still unspoiled and untamed swamplands.
Pippin earned a BFA with honors in printmaking from Rhode Island School of Design, and her background includes a residency in Providence, RI, study of large scale woodcuts in Indonesia, a residency at Big Cypress National Preserve, FL, and special showings at a number of galleries throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Ms. Frisbie-Calder will be collaborating with Dr. McLean to create a body of work around wetland microalgae awareness. In a public display their simulated and/or real-time, live projections of phytoplankton and woodcuts will act as large-scale representations of the aquatic micro-organisms of the wetlands and demonstrate their importance (functions and roles) within the larger ecosystem. This project aims to serve as an educational tool, hoping to draw all members of the public, independent of wetland awareness and appreciation, since few people (even among researchers) are aware of and recognize the microbial presence, diversity, beauty, and roles within the waters of the wetlands.
–reprinted from Studio in the Woods and the artist’s website.
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