LODGE(d) at the Museum of Northwest Art, Surge Festival on climate change, artists and scientists joined forces to start a multifaceted conversation on rising sea levels. Barbara De Pirro & Lisa Kinoshita created a life-size beaver dam, in tribute to an engineering species so important in conservation (it channels water in such a way as to expand wetlands, recharge groundwater, stabilize sediments, and provide cooler habitat for young salmon) that the Fish & Wildlife Service and US Forest Service are reintroducing it to Methow Valley. On Sept. 28, they deconstructed LODGE(D), moved it to the Matzke Fine Art Gallery and Sculpture Park on Camano Island, and rebuilt it in an entirely new configuration...
The inspiration behind LODGE(d), our life-size beaver dam, a tribute to this a
superlative engineer. The North American
Beaver is a vital partner in environmental restoration; it channels water in
such a way as to expand wetlands, recharge groundwater, stabilize sediments,
and provide cooler habitat for young salmon. An excellent documentary!
Barbara De Pirro is a mixed media painter, sculptor and educator, in partnership with Golden Artist Colors, Inc. She works both two and three dimensionally, translating her concepts from one media to the other. Her expansive knowledge of acrylic, combined equally with her broad understanding of a full range of media opens the door to vast possibilities. All of this, she generously shares with other artists in her workshops and lectures. De Pirro’s artwork has been commissioned and exhibited in Museums, Galleries, Sculpture Parks, Art Centers and Public Art Organizations. She is a member of Northwest Designer Craftsman and Surface Design Association. She has received both a Grant and Fellowship Residency through Artist Trust. Additionally De Pirro’s artwork has been published in multiple articles, publications and books.