We recently received an e-mail from Anna Lehr Mueser at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in Philadelphia about their upcoming environmental art gallery show entitled The Foragers - an exploration of wild mushrooms in photography and crochet.
A reception in the gallery on Thursday, January 28, 2016 from 6:00-8:00 pm opens the show.
Like to know more about Melissa and Josh? The Schuylkill Center's website offers this charming story about the two artists:
Early in their relationship, Josh, who is from Manhattan, recommended that they go mushroom foraging in the Fairmount Park when visiting Melissa where she grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia. Having never been mushroom foraging before, the two of them stumbled over rocks and downed wood in the forest near the Valley Green Inn in the Wissahickon. What seemed frivolous and foolish at first, turned into twenty years of photographing local fungi and mycology enthusiasm. Eventually, Melissa became interested in biomimicry and would begin to recreate the mushrooms out of yarn by crocheting them and then attaching them to found wood.
Josh’s photographs and Melissa’s crocheted yarn sculptures highlight the experience of immersion in the forest and nature’s ability to create something beautiful out of almost nothing.
Melissa's Mushroom Crochet workshop is scheduled for Saturday, February 20, 2016, from 2:00-4:00 pm. Melissa will guide participants through an "exploration of crochet in the round and hyperbolic crochet, resulting in your own mimicked yarn mushroom." She indicates that some prior crochet experience may be useful but is not necessary - all skill levels are welcome. Essential materials and supplies will be available at the workshop but participants are also welcome to bring their own hooks and yard if they prefer. The fee for 2 hour class at 8480 Hagy's Mill Road is $15 for members and $20 for non-members.
This may be a bit far afield from our home base on the southern Oregon coast, but we have readers from all over, and it does sound fascinating!
For more information, contact the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education at 215.482.7300.
Anna, many thanks for passing on news about this very interesting event, and we look forward to hearing about future mushroom related activities at the Center.