From mermaid mythologies to seaweeds, agar bioplastic and sauerkraut brine, this workshop explores saltwater as a medium that holds, grows and transforms life. Participants will have the opportunity to play with foraged salt and seaweed gathered on the Oregon Coast, comparing and contrasting the various shapes, textures, and flavors. Participants will then be shown how to create a translucent, compostable biomaterial using agar, a gelatin-like substance derived from seaweed. The session will end with hands-on play as participants preserve seasonal fruits and vegetables in a salty brine that encourages natural fermentation.
RSVP required as space is limited.
Meech Boakye is a Canadian-American artist and researcher based in Portland, Oregon. Working across writing, publishing, sculpture, foodways, material research, and public programming, their practice is rooted in relationships with human and more-than-human species. Boakye holds an Hon. B.A. in Visual Studies from the University of Toronto. Their work has been exhibited at The Brick, Oregon Contemporary, Susan Hobbs Gallery, Gallery 44, and the Art Gallery of Guelph. Their writing and comics have appeared in C Magazine, The Globe & Mail, Oregon Humanities, and Variable West. Supporting their practice, Boakye has received grants from the Simons Foundation, Oregon Humanities, and the Regional Arts & Culture Council, as well as residencies at ACRE, the Independent Publishing Resource Center, and A Black Art Ecology of Portland.
Beyond Boundaries: Visions of Ecological Futures, is a three-day convening of critical and creative voices engaging ecological thought across disciplines and communities. Featuring keynote lectures from scholar Dr. Stacy Alaimo and artist Meech Boakye, this symposium explores the intersections of environment, art, activism, pedagogy, and identity—with a focus on how ecological futures are imagined, embodied, and enacted through diverse cultural practices and positionalities.
