Join us for a conversation about the new public art installation “Listening to the Forest,” located in the George W. Peavy Forest Science Center on the OSU campus. The discussion will be preceded by a short video introducing the artwork and includes a live Q&A with the artist Leah Wilson. Attendees will have an opportunity to send in questions.
Register for the Webinar. Wednesday, May 12, 4 p.m. PST.
"Listening to the Forest" is a public art installation made possible through Oregon's Percent for Art program and Oregon State University. The composition and color of the installation is based on the distinctions of the cellular structure of wood and the variances of light quality from forest canopy to forest floor. The artwork creates a contemplative visual experience of light, color, shadow, and rhythm. Through the layered cut-outs, the experience of viewing the artwork changes based on the vantage point of the viewer and the quality of light from the windows in the PFSC atrium. Scaling two floors, "Listening to the Forest" is installed above the PFSC atrium stairs which are made from recycled glulam beams from the former Peavy Hall. The Peavy Forest Science Center highlights an entirely new of way of thinking about building and design.
Leah Wilson is a visual artist and writer who lives and works in Eugene, Oregon. A 2012 artist residency at the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest in the Oregon Cascades introduced her to ecologists working on long-term studies in the forest. Attracted by the long-term focus of study, she is now an episodic lifetime artist in residence at the Andrews Forest. Her artwork has been exhibited at galleries throughout the West Coast and her work is in national and international public and private collections.
Dr. Brooke Penaluna is a research scientist with the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station who studies trout, fish, streams, rivers, and watersheds. Brooke was moved by the different layers in Leah’s work that change based on where you are standing, which is a lot like Brooke’s experience in observing streams. Leah was the first artist that made Brooke think differently about her science.
This event is hosted by the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest Long-Term Ecological Research program, the OSU College of Forestry, and The Spring Creek Project for Nature and the Written Word.
Arts-humanities-science connections at the Andrews Forest are made possible through donations. We appreciate your support.