Alchemizing Invasives
Join us for Alchemizing Invasives, a workshop series that introduces common invasive plants in Kentucky to community members, while offering creative solutions for how to use them. Over the course of 5 months, community members can learn from local artists how to make baskets, paints, papers, and more all while learning why invasive plant management is important for the health of our local ecosystem.
All workshops will occur 12-3pm EST at Boathouse at River Row (608 Hawkins Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601)
Paper Workshop
June 21st 12-3pm EST
Participants will learn how to make homemade paper utilizing the invasive plant, Yellow Flag Iris. No previous experience needed. Due to the length of time it takes to make paper with natural fibers, the artist will be giving a demo with some pre-processed materials. Registration is $10. If cost is a barrier to participation please reach out. To keep this class manageable, registration will be limited to 12 participants. This program will happen at Boathouse at River Row (608 Hawkins Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601). There is a parking lot on site. Light refreshments will be provided.
Meet the Artist:
Rachel Singel
Rachel Singel is an Associate Professor at the University of Louisville. Rachel grew up on a small farm in Charlottesville, Virginia. She received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia in 2009 and a Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking from the University of Iowa in 2013. Rachel has participated in residencies at the Penland School of Crafts, the Venice Printmaking Studio, the Scuola Internazionale di Grafica Venezia, Art Print Residence in Barcelona, Spain, Wharepuke Print Studios in New Zealand, Proyecto'ace, an Artist-in-Residence Program in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and AGA Lab in the Netherlands. She has studied non-toxic printmaking at the Grafisk Eksperimentarium studio in Andalusia and recently traveled to Japan to research papermaking with invasive plants.
Free-Style Basket Workshop
July 26th 12-3pm EST
Participants will learn how to make a free-style basket utilizing the invasive plant, Winter Creeper. No previous experience needed. Registration is $10. If cost is a barrier to participation please reach out. To keep this class manageable, registration will be limited to 12 participants. This program will happen at Boathouse at River Row (608 Hawkins Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601). There is a parking lot on site. Light refreshments will be provided.
Meet the Artist:
Alyssum Pohl
Alyssum Pohl grew up in Eastern Kentucky where her father was a self-proclaimed "Kudzu Warrior," constantly beating back the invasive vine in their holler. This started her long love for environmental activism; she has an M.A. in International Environmental Policy, and solo kayaked the Mississippi River documenting plastic waste and water quality. Now chronically ill, she fell in love with making baskets in 2021. Alyssum has made ~50 baskets to date. While she usually coils baskets out of pine needles, she has been delighted to find that invasive vines like Winter Creeper and Kudzu make wonderful free-style baskets.
Wreath Workshop
August 16th 12-3pm EST
Participants will learn how to make a wreath utilizing the invasive plants, Bush Honeysuckle and Winter Creeper. No previous experience needed. Registration is $10. If cost is a barrier to participation please reach out. To keep this class manageable, registration will be limited to 12 participants. This program will happen at Boathouse at River Row (608 Hawkins Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601). There is a parking lot on site. Light refreshments will be provided.
Meet the Artist:
Anna Campomanes
Anna is a multi-disciplinarian: she is a lifelong artist, garden designer, and has worked in parks, historical houses, museums, libraries, and galleries. She loves working in the liminal space that intersects science, art, and spirituality.
Pigment Workshop
September 13th 12-3pm EST
Participants will learn how to make pigments utilizing a variety of invasive plants. No previous experience needed. Registration is $10. If cost is a barrier to participation please reach out. To keep this class manageable, registration will be limited to 12 participants. This program will happen at Boathouse at River Row (608 Hawkins Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601). There is a parking lot on site. Light refreshments will be provided.
Meet the Artist:
Madison Hetzel
Madison Heltzel is an artist, paintmaker, and advocate for wild spaces. She collects natural pigment from botanical and mineral sources while hiking and exploring the great outdoors. She processes and refines natural pigments to use in her work and for her handmade watercolor business. Madison works at the Lexington Art League in Lexington and believes in the power of art to connect people with nature and with each other.
Paintbrush Workshop
October 4th 12-3pm EST
Participants will learn how to make a paintbrush utilizing the invasive plant, Knotweed. We additionally will have time in class to use these paintbrushes to create our own paintings. No previous experience needed. Registration is $10. If cost is a barrier to participation please reach out. To keep this class manageable, registration will be limited to 12 participants. This program runs from 12-3pm EST at Boathouse at River Row (608 Hawkins Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601). There is a parking lot on site. Light refreshments will be provided.
Meet the Artist:
Kat Smith
Kat Smith is a multi-media artist born and raised in Central Kentucky. They additionally serve as the Stewardship Specialist for Woods and Waters Land Trust. On the job they find a lot of inspiration through tending the land and removing invasive species, which catalyzed this workshop series. As an artist, their practice mostly revolves around fibers, printmaking, and film photography, often melding these mediums together. Most of the materials they use in their work is found or secondhand, making the exploration at the heart of this workshop series the perfect fit.
