TL;DR
Get business pricing on tools and workshop supplies
- Business-only prices and quantity discounts
- Tax-exempt purchasing
- Multiple users, one account, clear invoices
Four artists working with Brooklyn community biology lab Genspace presented work using natural pigments, algae yarn and alternative clays at a three-day exhibition in Queens during Climate Week. The report describes their material experiments, but does not establish how widely these alternatives can replace synthetic supplies or quantify their environmental effects.
Four artists connected with Genspace, a community biology lab in Brooklyn, presented work made with natural pigments, algae yarn and alternative clays at a three-day exhibition at Flux IV in Queens during Climate Week. The show, titled Source Material: Genspace Biomaterials Studio BioArt Exhibit, put forward experiments with renewable and biodegradable materials as alternatives to synthetic art supplies.
The exhibition focused on the artistic possibilities of materials drawn from natural sources. Its premise, as described in the report, was that artists need not simply swap a synthetic product for a natural equivalent; exploring different materials can also change the creative process and how people relate to finished art objects.
Becca Rodriguez’s work Puddle Pigments (2026) used pigments made from mugwort, mulberry and serviceberry. The installation also included paper, water samples, test tubes and video. The report situates natural pigments in a longer history of artists sourcing color from plants, animals and minerals, before synthetic dyes and paint tubes developed in Europe in the 19th century.
Kaitlyn Gillums made bowls, bracelets and a belt buckle from compost clay, according to the report and its photo caption. The source also identifies algae yarn and alternative clays among the materials featured in the show, but does not provide detailed descriptions of every artist’s work or explain how each material was processed.
Experiments With Local Art Materials
The projects show how artists are testing renewable and biodegradable inputs within a community biology setting. Their relevance lies in the practical and creative questions they raise: what can be made from nearby biological materials, how those materials behave, and whether they can support artistic practices that currently rely on synthetic supplies.
The report frames the exhibition against climate-related environmental concerns and notes that artists have been addressing those issues through both their work and advocacy. It does not measure the environmental footprint of the exhibited materials or establish that they are safer or lower-impact across their full life cycle. The exhibition is evidence of exploration, rather than proof of a scalable replacement for commercial supplies.
Genspace and the Exhibition
Genspace is described in the source as a community biology lab in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Artists associated with its Biomaterials Studio presented the work at Flux IV in Queens during Climate Week in a three-day show called Source Material: Genspace Biomaterials Studio BioArt Exhibit.
The report notes that natural colorants have long histories and can carry cultural and symbolic meaning. It names indigo, cochineal and turmeric as familiar examples, while emphasizing that many other organic sources of color exist. Some pigment traditions are connected to Indigenous communities and artistic traditions across the Global South; that context cautions against treating natural materials as merely new technical substitutes.
Material Performance Remains Unreported
The source does not give comparative data on the materials’ durability, cost, availability or environmental impact. It is also unclear whether the artists or Genspace plan further public demonstrations, publish recipes or pursue production beyond the exhibition. The available account names four artists but provides substantive examples for only Becca Rodriguez and Kaitlyn Gillums.
Further Work Beyond the Show
The exhibition was a three-day presentation during Climate Week. The source does not announce a follow-up event, research milestone or commercial release. Further reporting would be needed to establish whether the artists continue testing these materials, how they perform over time, and whether other artists can access or reproduce the methods.
Key Questions
Where was the exhibition held?
Source Material: Genspace Biomaterials Studio BioArt Exhibit ran for three days at Flux IV in Queens during Climate Week.
Which materials did the artists explore?
The report identifies natural pigments, algae yarn and alternative clays. Becca Rodriguez used pigments from mugwort, mulberry and serviceberry, while Kaitlyn Gillums made objects from compost clay.
Does the report show these materials replace synthetic supplies?
No. It describes artistic experiments and does not provide performance comparisons, life-cycle measurements or evidence of large-scale use.
What did Becca Rodriguez exhibit?
Her work Puddle Pigments (2026) combined mugwort, mulberry and serviceberry pigments on paper with water samples, test tubes and video.
Source: rss
Fall yard work Picks
leaf blowers
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
