Brandon Ballengee gives artist talk at The Beacon Institute, Aug 26 4pm

Brandon Ballengee "Cleared and Stained Sturgeon"
on view in the storefront of the Beacon Institute through Sept 10.

Windows On Main Street Presents:
A talk by participating artist Brandon Ballengee.

When:
This Saturday August 26th, @ 4pm
Location:
The Beacon Institute of Rivers & Estuaries, 199 Main Street, Beacon, NY
Admission:
Free

Brandon Ballengee’s work attempts to blur the already ambiguous boundaries between environmental art and ecological research. When initiating a project he often solicits technological or theoretical information from field biologists, or zoological organizations. In other cases, Brandon has collaborated with scientists to create a work. As an artist involved in wildlife preservation, global disappearances of biodiversity is both a concern and a focus.
Earlier Earth/Eco artists such as Betty Beaumont, Agnes Denes and the Harrisons have influenced Ballengee’s approach towards nature. Likewise it is inspired by the political philosophies of Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School.
Ballengee is probably best known for attempting to breed an extinct species of frog back into existences and a series of, "Dioxin Drawings," painted with pollutants found in waters around the state, and distilled down into a sludge of dioxin, PCPs, petrochemicals, etc., which he then used as his paint medium. The images he paints suggest the human skeleton, which is where the artist says these pollutants come to reside in our bodies.
Headquartered on the Hudson River in the City of Beacon, in Dutchess County,
New York, The Beacon Institute's mission is to create a global center for interdisciplinary research and education for the study of rivers and estuaries and the central role they play in the lives of nearly every living creature on this planet.
Its work will proceed from many platforms – out on the water, in an education and resource center, in a state-of-the-art laboratory, within the scientific and academic community and through ongoing collaborations with partners. Its plans are continuing to evolve, with future designs for satellite facilities along the Hudson and elsewhere. With a team of scientists, educators, engineers, historians and other experts, The Beacon Institute will become a center for excellence in the study of rivers and estuaries and a bold voice for policies and practices to benefit waterways and society alike.
For further information please contact The Beacon Institute at info@thebeaconinstitute.org or (845) 838-1600. Windows On Main Street is sponsored by The Beacon Arts Community Association and Dutchess County Arts Council. Refreshments will be served.