Biomimicry Featured in AZ Foothills Magazine

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Special thanks to Arizona Foothills Magazine for their article about Tempe Center for the Arts’ current exhibit, Biomimicry. Read the full article here.

Here’s an excerpt:

Cool off this summer at the Tempe Center for the Arts and enjoy their latest exhibition Biomimicry: Nature Inspired Design, perfect for the entire family! This wonderful exhibition offers an engaging collection of artwork, fascinating examples of science, and engrossing literature about biomimicry, along with hands on activities to truly connect its visitors with the concepts and ideas inspired by biomimicry. This fascinating group exhibition highlights art, science, and engineering, while exploring the fantastic world of Biomimicry.
“Biomimicry is an exciting field that seeks to emulate nature to create sustainable solutions to human problem, states TCA Gallery Curator Michelle Nichols-Dock. She goes on to elaborate that “Today, biomimicry is used by professionals such as scientists, engineers, architects, designers and business people to create things like new and/or improved products, manufacturing processes and design standards.” Some common but important examples of biomimicry that we see and use every day include solar cells aka solar panels that were inspired by photosynthesizing plants as well as Velcro inspired by plant burr hooks!
This exciting exhibition features a dynamic group of artists working in a variety diverse of mediums including: Matt Baral, Jose Benavides, Alexandra Bowers, Alan Burr Johnson, Christine Cassano, Halldor Hjalmarson, Nissa Kubly, Christine Lee, Emily Longbrake and Damon McIntyre. Phoenix based sculptor Christine Cassano’s creates engrossing mixed media wall sculptures such as “Pelt & Parchment” that incorporate such striking materials as concrete, copper, porcelain, moss, soil and more.
While pyrographer artist Alexandra Bowers, creates delicate artworks inspired by nature using beautiful wood panels that she then adorns with a unique and intricate hand burned drawing of local flora, fauna, and animals. Bowers noted, “She extensively studies and records her findings, which she then utilizes to produce wood burned studies of plants and animals.”
Other highlights of the exhibition include Jose Benavides whose work is attention grabbing and playful utilizing repurposed materials in his work such as aluminum cans to create engaging sculptures of things found inspired and found nature such as cactus that explore the ideas of structural strength. Alan Bur Johnson’s “Progeny Fig. 13” utilizes photo transparencies and steel insect pins to create a dazzling array of color, texture and shape, which the artist states “addresses fleeting life cycles and physical impermanence.”
Also coinciding with the exhibition is a special 9-week residency where artists will be mentored by experts from ASU and challenged to create new ideas, artworks and/or concept sketches located in the Gallery has been taking place with three artists: Jose Benavides, Alexandra Bowers and Nissa Kubly who were selected by jury, allowing patrons to connect with the artists as they explore and create work based on biomimcry. Patrons have been encouraged to speak with the artist, learn about their process, and see them creating new work live in the gallery over the course of their residency.

Don’t miss the Friday Night Maker Night Follow the Glow, learning from the Israeli Deathstalker Scorpion With Cyndi Coon of Laboratory 5 Inc. on August 18, 2017 from 6-8 pm in the Gallery. There will be a free lecture with Dayna Baumeister, who is the co-founder of the Biomimicry Institute on August 24, 2017 from 7-8:30pm in the Theater (Free tickets available at the door).

Biomimicry: Nature Inspired Design will be on display through August 26th at the Gallery at the TCA. The TCA Gallery is open Tuesday-Thursday 10-5 pm, and Friday 10-7:30pm and Saturday 11-7:30pm and admission is free. Be sure to check Gallery at TCA online for more information regarding this exhibition, the gallery, or special events. For more information about biomimicry visit http://biomimicry.asu.edu *All images are courtesy and copyright of TCA and artists.

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