Man and woman sitting and creating together

Bio Art

Every Tuesday for 4 weeks beginning July 12, 2022, 6-8 PM

Overview

This 4-week class combines art history and experimentation to explore the emerging movement of Bio Art. Rooted in environmental concerns and science, Bio Art can range from working with natural materials to manipulating DNA. Students will be introduced to “Agar Art” which involves cultivating bacteria, to working with seeds and grasses, and will be encouraged to explore mediums through a conceptual and research-based lens. Participants will learn new ways to look at art, represented in the DAM’s collection by artists like Ernesto Neto and Karen Kitchel.

No prior technical knowledge or specific experience is required, though a sense of curiosity and willingness to experiment will be richly rewarded. Students will experiment with a new material each week, that may culminate in a finished artwork if they wish. The DAM’s Sensory Garden will be a focal point of the class, and each class will feature both a lecture along with hands-on experimentation and art-making time.

Class Timeline

  • Class 1: What is Bio Art, anyway? Collage-making.
  • Class 2: Lecture on mycology and mushrooms and their use by artists. Making spore-prints outdoors.
  • Class 3: Lecture on "Nature Shopping" and a tour of the DAM Sensory Garden. Then, making art with found materials along with a variety of seeds.
  • Class 4: Lecture on Bacteria Art and playing with microscopes. Students will culture their own agar plates to take home and watch their art grow.
Martin Building, Level 1—Creative Hub, Ruby Room
Ticket required, discount for members and Museum Friends

Materials: Some materials will be provided by the educator and are reflected in the $18 materials fee associated with this class. Students will purchase the remainder of materials on their own.

Pricing:

  • Museum Friends: $118
  • Members: $138
  • Students: $138
  • Non-Members: $158

Learn more about Membership and our Museum Friends program.

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Headshot of Laura Lynnxe Murphy

Photo by Tommy Shine

About the Educator

Lauri Lynnxe Murphy is a bio artist, sculptor, curator and writer living in Denver, Colorado. She received her master of fine arts from The Ohio State University on University Fellowship in 2012 and has spent her life building community and DIY gallery spaces and advocating for artists alongside her own robust studio practice. Her work is research-driven and science-based, and focuses on insect extinction, mutation, climate change and biophilia. Much of her work is made by collaborating with endangered species and the systems they employ, such as building sculptures with bees or making drawings with snails.

Group of guests in a Creative Classes in the Creative Hub

Creative Classes

Connect with professional creatives, learn a new skill, and expand your own creative practice in 1-day, 4-week, and 6-week creative classes at the Denver Art Museum. These classes are taught by practicing artists in a studio art environment in the Creative Hub, located on level 1 of the Martin Building.