Staab used driftwood, willow branches, bamboo, bloodweed, and other natural materials found onsite or nearby – even footprints – to construct ephemeral artworks in our pond and on the banks of the Mississippi River. Roy’s residency culminated with a piece titled CHAISE ILE installed with the help of volunteers on Bayou Bienvenue in partnership with the Lower Ninth Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development.

Roy Staab received his B.F.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  He has received various awards including a Japan/American Artist Exchange Creative Artist Fellowship, Pollack/Krasner Grant, Gottlieb Foundation Award and a Joan Mitchell Award. His paintings, drawings and photographs can be found in the collections of the Musée d’art moderne and Le fonds national d’art contemporain in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Milwaukee Art Museum.

“I am fascinated by the Mississippi River nearby so my first day I went along the river and found a beach for my art, the black willow grove on the batture. I watched the river flow with wave wanting the reflection. But the action of the waves proved to be very interesting with the work that I recorded on video – ebb & flow.” – Roy Staab

Enjoy videos of Roy’s work:

POND BURST

CHAISE ILE

The Chaise of Bayou Bienvenue

Willow Ring on the Mississippi River

Treasure Island

Mississippi Alligator

DIMENSIONAL REFLECTIONS OF A SQUARE