I was accepted as one of six artists to participate as an Artist in Residence at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory in Milford, Iowa. An Artist in Residence brings their creative skills to the classroom, and in this case, the classroom is outdoors.

These studies are made with images taken through the microscope of various algae life. The background uses photographs of pond weeds near where water samples containing these microscopic lives were were taken.

Ichthyology student Colton holds the seine to catch fish washing downstream.

I traveled with the Ichthyology class to do sampling of streams and rivers in Northeast and Southeast Iowa, learned about algae sampling and diatom counting, learned about Iowa’s water systems and their overall health, and heard a lot of information about historic and contemporary native peoples in Iowa through the Archaeology class.

I came away with hundreds of photos, many sketches, and a lot of learning. This will continue to inform my work in the future.

Read my photo journal about my experiences and journals of other Artists and Residence on the Lakeside Lab Website.