Invaded Forests: A Material Demonstration

The language of an “invaded land” obscures our role in creating what much of local land looks like. Invasive trees (invaders), native forests (invaded), industrial forests—which are both invading and now being invaded—, and urban growth that is constantly encroached: each of these plant types and locations for growth are layers of intention, adaptation, and resilience.

Artist and designer Frank Dallas (Programs Assistant, National Academy of Design) will lead participants in a material demonstration that examines how native, invasive, and farmed plant species shape the land they inhabit, their ties to industrial processes, and our evolving relationship to them. Natural materials will be explored through the parallels between the materials we grow and build with and how and where they grow.

Participants will have the opportunity to interact with various materials while discussing their role in ecosystems, their material strengths and weaknesses, and how their use as commodities influence the land.

RESERVATIONS: Admission is free but reservations are required.

ACCESSIBILITY: This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs. To request free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service, email your request at least three weeks in advance of the event to [email protected].

About the Speakers

Frank Dallas is a multidisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn, NY. They hold a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and engage with their urban environment through a practice rooted in data collection, plant mapping, and historical research. Dallas's work spans drawing, sculpture, and furniture, offering examinations of the hidden dynamics of urban landscapes, their natural and human inhabitants, and the social structures that shape them. A recipient of numerous grants and scholarships—including the Textron Grant and the Alfreda Ward Maloof Award—Dallas has exhibited work at Field Projects, DESIGNxRI, Site, and additional venues in various cities. They currently serve as the Programs Assistant at the National Academy of Design, helping to provide architecture and fine art programming to the public.

Image: Clare Veronica Hope Leighton NA (1901-1989), Landing, 1931. Wood engraving. 10 3/4 × 14 7/8  in. Edition: 16/100. NA diploma presentation, April 7, 1952. National Academy of Design, New York, NY. © 1989 David Roland
Leighton

Host or Publisher National Academy of Design