Art & Algae: A Seaweed Cyanotype Workshop

Join us for the Art & Algae: A Seaweed Cyanotype Workshop with Josie Iselin!

Date: April 26th

Time:11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Location: Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts and Agriculture

We are excited to welcome artist and photographer Josie Iselin, for a unique workshop where participants of all ages can explore the fascinating world of seaweed and cyanotype printing. Using Josie’s extensive collection of dried seaweed specimens, participants will discover the beauty of this alternative photographic process and create your own striking blue-and-white prints.

Workshop Highlights:

- Introduction to Cyanotype: Discover cyanotype printing, a camera-free photographic process that produces images in stunning shades of blue. Inspired by pioneering botanist and photographer Anna Atkins, who used cyanotype to illustrate her landmark 1843 book, Photographs of British Algae. Participants will create their own seaweed cyanotypes using the sun and Josie’s specimens.

- Seaweed and Ocean Ecology: Josie will share her journey into the world of seaweed, introduce her own artwork, and highlight the diverse biology and ecological importance of green, red, and brown algae. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the intertidal zone and its essential role in planetary health.

- Hands-on Art Creation: Through guidance by Josie, participants will create beautiful prints, experimenting with seaweed as the subject matter.

Feel free to bring your own specimens to identify and incorporate into the artwork for a personalized touch.

All materials will be provided!

About the Instructor:

Josie Iselin is a photographer, author, and designer of many books, with her last few focusing on the world of seaweeds and kelp. Her most recent book, The Curious World of Seaweed (Heyday Books, 2019) is the basis for a traveling exhibition of prints by the same name.

Josie is the co-director of Above/Below, a campaign working to bring the recognition afforded the forests on land to the kelp forests below the ocean’s surface. Above/Below’s signature effort is a web-based book titled The Mysterious World of Bull Kelp, released in November 2023 and has already been accessed by over 15,000 kelp-curious learners. Josie is the chief content creator having written all of the text and worked closely with illustrator Ellen Litwiller and her partner Marianna Leuschel.

Josie holds a BA in Visual and Environmental Studies from Harvard and an MFA from San Francisco State University. She currently teaches in the School of Design at SFSU. For over twenty years Josie has used her flatbed scanner and computer exclusively for generating imagery. Synthesizing the scientific stories of our coast is her overriding passion, bringing thoughtfulness and stewardship to this extraordinary place of discover.

Cancellation Policy

- $20 cancellation fee

- 0% refund for cancellations less than 1 week before the workshop

- 50% refund for cancellations 7-14 days prior

- Full refunds will be provided if PMRCAA cancels the event due to inclement weather or if an instructor is unavailable.

Please submit all cancellation requests in writing to [email protected].

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Host or Publisher Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts & Agriculture