Gallery Opening of Works by betterArts Resident Lilli Fisher May 31

This larger-than-life burdock sculpture by visiting artist Lilli Fisher utilizes on of North Country's most notorious invasive species to become a giant, interactive piece of art. Fisher's work will be on display in Better Farm's Art Barn in Redwood Saturday, May 31.

BetterArts resident Lilli Fisher will show her ongoing series of three-dimensional pieces made from flora and fauna in the North Country at a gallery opening 6 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at Better Farm in Redwood.

Fisher, a Durham, N.C., native, in 2012 earned her BFA in painting and creative writing from Maryland Institute College of Art. Her sculptures, drawings, paintings, and writing have been featured in multiple galleries along the east coast and in São Tomé and Príncipe. Fisher has worked behind-the-scenes for studios and graphic designers; and participated in several community art projects.

She has been staying in Redwood for the month of May through a betterArts residency held at Better Farm. Her residency has focused on temporary installations featuring living and decaying works that may create habitats, be consumed, or be built by organisms in the ecosystem. The intent of her work has been to question human-environmental relationships.

"My work is a physical process of searching,” Fisher said, “in which I investigate my existence in the context of contemporary life. I collect discarded human-made objects before they are swallowed back into the earth.” At Better Farm, Fisher focused on gathering invasive plants to make book works and larger sculptural pieces. She made pigments and dyes out of spices, herbs, and dirt.

“I interpret these culturally disparate substances as part of a globally interconnected ecological system in which we are all participants,” Fisher said. “My aim is to provide a sensual experience, removed from the boundaries of language, which encourages the viewer to question their paradigms.”

The betterArts Residency Program offers lodging, studio, and gallery space to artists, writers, performers, and musicians at Better Farm, a 65-acre sustainability campus in Redwood. Residencies are designed to offer artists of every discipline space and time to work on specific projects; whether a series of paintings, a composition, book, set of sculptures, or album. Artists are encouraged to interact and participate in the goings-on around the property, and to help out with chores and farm-related responsibilities during their residency. At the conclusion of each residency, artists present completed and ongoing works to the public in gallery shows, readings, and performances.

"BetterArts is unique among residencies in that it provides not only an artistic community but also a community of people devoted to living sustainably,” Fisher said. “This type of community is an invaluable resource for me because of the mode of artistic experimentation I want to explore. The feedback I receive has helped me make the work I really want to make, and to gauge the reaction it receives against a diverse group of perspectives and backgrounds.”

Lilli Fisher's work will be on display in Better Farm's Art Barn at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 31. The event is free and open to the public. Better Farm is located at 31060 Cottage Hill Road, Redwood. To see more of Lilli Fisher's work, visit lillifisher.com. For more information about betterArts residencies, visit www.betterarts.org.