Image courtesy of Lauri Lynnxe Murphy.
Bio Art: Artmaking with Nature
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 foraged and harvested materials from nature, 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. The DAM’s Sensory Garden will be a focal point, and each class will feature a lecture along with hands-on experimentation and artmaking.
What to Expect: This class meets weekly on Tuesdays. Each class will begin with an introduction to a material or way of making with a brief lecture meant to inspire and inform. Then students will be invited to explore that week's materials, with time saved at the end to share our work. Experimentation is greatly encouraged. This is a class with no real rules except for safety.
Creative Classes are taught in a studio art environment and offer an opportunity to learn from professional creatives through traditional and experimental approaches. Each class is uniquely designed by a creative educator for an adult audience, designed to help you learn a new skill or expand your own creative practice. Explore the Summer/Fall 2024 class schedule.
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.
To request a sign language interpreter or any other accessibility service, email access@denverartmuseum.org at least ten (10) business days in advance of the program. We will make every effort to provide accommodation for requests made outside of that window of time.
Class Cancellation Policy: If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a Friday or Saturday as the educator’s schedule allows.
