ArtLab Residency at the Mountain Lake Biological Station (2024)

ArtLab Residency (2024)

at the Mountain Lake Biological Station

Sunday, June 23rd - Saturday, July 6th

Photo by Liv Quintero 2024.

At The Mountain Lake Biological Station in Pembrooke, VA

I had the privilege of participating as a member of the ArtLab, an artists residency at the Mountain Lake Biological Station in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western Virginia. During my time there, I gave an artist’s talk, led a sound-making workshop, produce a sonic immersion, and led a social singing event.

Photo by Liv Quintero 2024.

I spent two weeks amidst an incredibly tight-knit community of students, researchers, staff, artists, and faculty, and caught a glimpse into the station’s rich place-based culture. It was immediately clear that the campus was deeply cared for, and its culture had been shaped by years of love and intentional placemaking by those who return summer after summer. During the day, students took classes studying fish, and did research on the plants, amphibians, and bugs of the area. In their spare time, students participated in weekly movie nights, a volleyball team, a running club, social dancing, a small choir, and annual fourth-of-July traditions.

Photo by Clay Gonzalez 2024.

The closeness of the community proved to be the ideal staging ground for a Regenerate! event, and I was amazed by how receptive the whole community was to the idea of joining in on a creative project. I ended up recruiting over half of the campus to take part in a musical performance by Riopel Pond, a piece written for soundmakers to perform alongside the chorus of the stations very vocal frog population. The campus community also turned out for a campfire songs event, one that gave me the chance to try out a few new social singing pieces written in residence.

An incredibly meaningful part of this residency were the personal connections— I had ample time to get to know the other artists, the program directors, and some of the scientists and students at the station for research. The program opened me up to some new artistic perspectives, as well as giving me a peek into the world of plants, bugs, and the people who study them.

Photo by Clay Gonzalez 2024.

View art lab's webpage

Learn more about Mountain lake Biological Station

See a highlights reel from this performance

Featuring “Honey,” a new regenerative immersion written in residence.

View an archival video of the whole performance.

Hear sounds from the residency!

First, you can hear a run through of “Honey” with the MLBS Regenerate! Orchestra.

Second, you’ll hear our campfire songs activity. I love this recording because the singing is just a small part of the overall soundscape— you can hear a robust chorus of frogs, as well as people chatting and laughing throughout.