Wabash College Artist-in-Residence Allison Maria Rodriguez will give a public lecture Thursday and lead a series of free workshops beginning Saturday as part of her residency at the college.
Rodriguez’s lecture will take place at noon Thursday in the Korb Classroom at the Fine Arts Center. She will discuss her work and her immersive video installation “Earth Oracles,” which is part of the “Errant Ecologies” exhibition on view in the Eric Dean Gallery.
The first of Rodriguez’s workshops, “Altars to Our Animal Kin: Connecting to the More-than-Human World,” will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Eric Dean Gallery. The workshop is open to all ages and does not require registration.
Inspired by “Earth Oracles,” the hands-on workshop will invite participants to create their own animal altar using collage, mixed media and found materials. Participants will receive a template to create layered, three-dimensional collages celebrating animals that inspire, protect or move them.
No art experience is necessary, and all materials will be provided.
Additional workshop dates are Oct. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m., Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to noon and Oct. 10 from 2 to 6 p.m. All workshops are drop-in events.
Rodriguez is a first-generation Cuban American interdisciplinary artist who primarily works in video installation. Her work explores climate change, species extinction and the connections between humans, animals and the natural world.
Her public art video installations have been commissioned by organizations including Art at Amtrak, Empire State Development, the Museum of Science Boston and Illuminus Boston. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States and internationally.
Rodriguez is also an independent curator and arts educator. She has taught courses in art theory and media production and maintains a studio at Midway Artist Studios in Boston.
She received her MFA from Tufts University/The School of the Museum of Fine Arts and a bachelor’s degree in language, literature and culture from Antioch College in Ohio, with additional study at Oxford University in England and Kyoto Seika University in Japan.
Rodriguez will be in residence at Wabash College through Oct. 14. During her residency, she will lead gallery field trips for Montgomery County K-12 school groups in addition to the public workshops.
“Errant Ecologies,” featuring works by Melissa Haviland, Rodriguez and Elizabeth Rose, is on view through Nov. 19 at the Eric Dean Gallery in the Fine Arts Center, 504 S. Grant St. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday.
