Bernard Williams, A Studio in the Woods Artist-in-Residence
Speaks about his work and his residency on Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 7pm
A part of Tulane University’s Sandra Garrard Visual Arts Discussion Series
Stone Auditorium, Woldenberg Art Center Room 210, Tulane University
For more information: info@astudiointhewoods.org or 504-392-5359
Bernard Williams will be in residence at A Studio in the Woods from January 18th to February 27th, 2011. Williams’ artworks make statements about the complex nature of American culture. The works, usually in the form of painting, sculpture, and installation, incorporate both personal biographies and aspects of mass culture. To create his art, he often collects, repositions, and reshapes existing objects allowing the objects to be interpreted in a new way and outside of their usual contexts.
During the residency at A Studio in the Woods, the artist plans to create a large-scale temporary outdoor sculpture that will formally relate to the history of the once meandering Mississippi river. The sculpture will refer to overlapping pathways and invisible root systems like those that support tree life. The sculpture takes on a thematic relationship with the idea of “Roots and Rivers” expressed through his engagement with cutting linear forms from sheets of plywood.
From the study of historical maps and current mapping of the broader Louisiana area, Williams intends to inscribe the sculpture with geographical and historical information. He plans to invite multiple voices from the community to meet or perform in or around the sculpture structure. These voices and interactions might include activities such as: musical and vocal performance, poetry reading, conversations, yoga, and art making. The artist will also continue work on an ongoing project charting American history and culture through a large collection of small graphic paper cut-outs. He hopes to use a group of the cut-outs to produce a silkscreen print while at A Studio in the Woods.
Bernard Williams is a native (b. 1964) of Chicago, Illinois. He holds a BFA Degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and a MFA Degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. He also studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Maine, 1987. Williams taught art at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1991-2003 and 2010. He is currently represented by the Thomas McCormick Gallery (Chicago), the G.R. N’Namdi Gallery (Chicago-Detroit), and Slate Gallery (Brooklyn, NY).
Images: (left) Working sketch for Roots and Rivers, 2011; (right) The artist with Buffalo Chart, 2004-2010.
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Changing Landscapes Residencies are based on the premise that Southern Louisiana can be seen as a microcosm of the global environment, manifesting both the challenges and possibilities inherent in human interaction with the natural world. We ask artists to describe in detail how the region will affect their work, to propose a public component to their residency and to suggest ways in which they will engage with the local community. Changing Landscapes Residencies are sponsored in part thanks to generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts and The RosaMary Foundation. This program is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council. The grant is administered through the Arts Council of New Orleans.
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The Art and Soul of Hardwood Bottomland Forest Restoration
Changes Over Time: 2004 – 2011
Lessons from David Baker, A Studio in the Woods Environmental Curator
Longue Vue House and Gardens
Sunday, Februrary 13th at 3pm, Refreshments following
7 Bamboo Road, New Orleans
Photos above: Our woods (left) in June 2004 before invasive species removal began and (right) in October 2005 showing Katrina damage.
Since 2004 Environmental Curator David Baker has been tasked with the monumental job of restoring our 7.66-acre Bottomland Hardwood Forest to a functioning habitat. From natural disasters to the reappearance of the Cutleaf Grape Fern, he has many stories to tell about the adventures of preserving these woods. By removing the two dominant invasive species, Chinese Privet and Chinese Tallow, from the understory of the forest floor Baker has made way for the germination of a new legacy of hardwood seedlings.
On Sunday, February 13th, A Studio in the Woods invites you to learn more about his processes and how important the removal is to future forest health.
The talk is the inaugural installment of Longue Vue House and Gardens’ new “Sunday Salon” series: a bi-monthly gathering of diverse voices exploring the intersection of art, culture and environment. Scheduled to run through November 2011, this year’s series will be themed around the five Chinese elements of wood, water, fire, metal and earth.
To see images of David’s work in progress, check out his study plots HERE.
David Baker graduated from Louisiana State University with a B.S. in Botany. During his tenure at LSU he studied Hurricane ecology in Florida and Louisiana. He has been managing A Studio in The Woods since April 1, 2004, focusing on invasive species removal to restore A Studio in the Woods to a naturally functioning forest. David shares his time between A Studio in the Woods and the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at Tulane University. Total immersion in Bottomland Forest Ecology and working in Louisiana’s many forests has helped create a realistic vision of what A Studio in the Woods should look like.
David instituted 32 research plots in the forest at A Studio in the Woods, and this study has provided some of the region’s only data on forest recovery post-hurricane. David has helped write a lesson plan for educating children in the ecological art mindset of the organization. Taking artists out, giving tours, and educating the staff are all parts of his job description, as well as educating the neighboring communities on Bottomland Hardwood management through invasive species removal.
Longue Vue House and Gardens is an 8-acre Country Place Era estate comprised of a Classical Revival-style mansion surrounded by eleven different gardens, including an interactive children’s garden. The former home of philanthropists Edith and Edgar Stern, Longue Vue now serves as an educational and cultural resource. Longue Vue offers tours daily and holds events and exhibits that fulfill its mission “to preserve and use the historical and artistic legacy of Longue Vue and its creators to educate and inspire people to pursue beauty and civic responsibility in their lives.” Longue Vue, a designated National Historic Landmark, is accredited by the American Association of Museums and included on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information, visit www.longuevue.com
