What shape is a biosphere? – Stephanie Van Riet, MFA Sculpture ‘26

Biosphere 2 feels simultaneously futuristic and a relic of the past. Built in the 80s, the facility was created with the intention to recreate earth ecosystems for potential intergalactic survival. The experiment revealed many things, foremost how complex and difficult it is to recreate Earth. What piqued my curiosity about Biosphere 2 was the drive to create this facility in the first place, rooted in the curiosity to understand ourselves and what is beyond us. Even more so, the experiments revealed all that we do not know. Perhaps it is within human nature to pursue the unknown, coupled with a hubris that we might possibly be able to control and contain such things.

The original planning of Biosphere 2 included decisions of what species to enclose within this manufactured, multibiome world. The Noah’s Ark-like task of choosing which trees to plant, or which animals to include within the initial enclosed experiment came down to what would be the most efficient for survival — mangrove leaves for a salty taste, goats for milk, cheese and occasionally meat, and bananas as crucial sugar source. To isolate many of the incredible organisms that make up our diverse biological world seems complicated and unnatural, but perhaps it is necessary to create a “transportable” (by intergalactic standards) earth.

During my time at Biosphere 2, I absorbed information on many research initiatives, while also contemplating what they might mean about the state of humanity and our climate. Over the years of Biosphere 2’s operation as a science facility, plants and marine life have been introduced and prioritized for relevance in climate research, such as the cacao tree, coffee plants, and coral. Due to its scale and layout, the facility is uniquely qualified to study how resilient and fragile earth ecosystems are.

Then of course, there are many ants, mosquitos and cockroaches that exist within Biosphere 2; unintended residents who may have traveled in with new soil, or the opening of doors. I often wondered what that must be like to that ant, who may have lived half of their life in the Sonoran desert only to now live in a tropical rainforest. The ant did not ask to be part of Biosphere 2, nor did it choose to exist on Biosphere 1 (earth). Nevertheless, its ongoing existence shapes out planet, through building shelter, converting living matter into waste, and its movement. It seems inevitable that with life, there will be impact — Biosphere 2 is quick to illuminate that. To quote author Robert Moor, “the question we must ask ourselves is not whether we should shape the earth, but how.”

My projection work will be presented along with a night tour at Biosphere 2 later this year. I will update this post with more information soon, along with a video the final performance.

All photos by Stephanie Van Riet

August at Homeboy Art Academy – Elsa Fishman BFA Sculpture 2026

The last month of my fellowship has gone by in a blur! Truthfully, I am a little behind on my blog posts, but August was filled with so many exciting events, projects, and classes with the students at Homeboy Art Academy. Over the past month, I really felt like I found my place as a teaching artist at the Academy. I feel like I have started to solidify my teaching style while also building stronger relationships with my students. As I watch them come and go, and see them navigate struggles that I myself have never, and likely will never, experience, I am left with so much awe and admiration for their willingness to immerse themselves in a program like Homeboy Art Academy.

Throughout the month, I helped with many different projects and classes, especially the 3D printing class, which the students have been incredibly excited about. We even had the opportunity to introduce them to Blender as a new software. We experimented with different colors and types of filament, which the students loved. I think there is something especially exciting about watching a material slowly grow into something tangible and seeing an idea become a physical object right in front of you.

Alongside the daily classes, a smaller group of students and I have been working on a collage project for a barbershop in Colorado. The shop employs formerly incarcerated barbers and is collaborating with Homeboy on several collage pieces made by the students, which will be sold at the barbershop. I was able to work alongside the students as they developed ideas for their collages, all of which center around the theme of transformation, and support them in bringing their individual visions to life. Most of the students were new to collage, so I was able to introduce them to different examples and demonstrate how to build an image, starting with the background and gradually working toward the foreground. I really enjoyed watching them experiment with a new process and discover their own ways of working with the material.

We also spent time wood carving in my sculpture class, which was especially engaging. The students seem to gravitate toward activities that are hands-on and have a tangible, rewarding result, and I felt that wood carving gave them a chance to slowly become more comfortable with sculptural materials. It was exciting to see them take their time with the process and begin to understand how much they could transform a material with their own hands.

As August came to a close, I found myself feeling more comfortable and confident in my role at the Academy than I had at the beginning of the summer. It has been really rewarding to see the students become more comfortable trying new materials and processes, and to see how each class can take on a life of its own depending on the group.

Calling Artists to Join the Movement for Immigrant Justice – Karen Hu, MFA Printmaking ’27

Over the past few weeks, I have been working on an art open call at Alliance to Mobilize Our Resistance (AMOR). My goals for this work were to: a) learn the practical skills to create an open call and plan for a collection of artworks, b) understand the different ways that people approach art open calls and why different decisions are made, and c) apply this by working with AMOR to understand how an open call could align with the needs and work of the organization in a way that makes sense and could further their future work.

So far, I explored how artists and artwork can support the mass movement work that AMOR does through the Deportation Defense Network (DDN) in RI. The Deportation Defense Network is a network of volunteers that rapidly responds to ICE terror in our neighborhood. Through a whatsapp alerts channel, verified ICE sightings are reported to the community and volunteer and community members protest, outreach to the neighbors, and share know your rights information. DDN also operates a hotline (401-675-1414), which you can call to report activity that could affect your neighbors, and you never have to identify yourself. Learning more about the particular intentions of the network, to build a mass movement against ICE terror, was central to deciding the ways we could bring artists in to support this movement.

We spent time deciding on the specifics: the submission and evaluation timeline, and whether there would be a celebratory or revealing event at the end. One thing that was really important was deciding on the prompts to center the work of the DDN and connect with artists who resonated with this work. In the end, we decided on these prompts:

1. ¡El pueblo, unido, jamas sera vencido! 
2. ¡Solo El Pueblo salva el pueblo!
3. Abolish ICE!
4. ICE out of RI!
5. Mobilize, organize, and build
6. Migrar es un derecho 

I started to work on the post for the art open call:

Throughout this work, a common theme has emerged: when working within the context of a movement intended to build collective power to end state violence, there is always an intention to bring people in, build with them along our collective unity, and think about the long-term struggle.

The number to the Deportation Defense Network hotline is 401-675-1414. I am also attaching the qr code to the whatsapp alerts channel. We are all needed in this movement against ICE terror!

The Lung – Stephanie Van Riet, MFA Sculpture ‘26

As an artist at Biosphere 2, I am grappling with many truths and complexities within the research and facility. Also within a larger scope, with the scientific and cultural of space exploration. Curious about the internal organs of this place, I consider how they function together, and how I can use my artistic training to visualize the invisible arteries. Since arriving at Biosphere 2, I have been mesmerized by a “floating” aluminum disc in a circular room – this room is referred to as “the lung.” To get to the lung from the biomes, you must walk through a long sloped tunnel that opens into the neoprene-scented room, bringing into view a forty-thousand pound aluminum disc which is suspended by hypalon over a seventy-foot diameter circular pool. The hovering disc moves up and down, regulating the atmospheric pressure of the whole facility. During the initial experiment in 1991, two “lungs” (south and west lung) were critical to control the atmospheric pressure of the biomes while the facility was sealed for two years. Today, only the south lung is in operation.

Left: close up of interior lung. Right: exterior lung, encased by a geodesic dome

In my first week at Biosphere 2, I was struck by the scale of the room and its acoustic resonance; it feels cavernous, yet claustrophobic. There is something haunting about this futuristic space – perhaps it is the emptiness, or the chorus of echoes when the slightest sound is created. After spending time exploring reflections, light and sound, I decided to create a projection to activate the wall and pool within the lung. Though there are no windows to the outside environment and no potential for animal or plant life, the lung it is vital to the functioning of all the living spaces and beings within the facility.

Tracking the sap flow within the cacao trees of the rainforest biome is an ongoing research initiative in Biosphere 2. Due to the cacao tree’s cultural significance and economic value, it is of interest to many to understand how it is affected by climate change. Using sensors throughout the tree, Biosphere 2 scientists are tracking the velocity at which the sap flows from the roots to the branches of these trees. To visualize and animate the unseen data, I have been collaborating with Devin Bayly, Data Visualization Analyst at the University of Arizona. We have been converting data sets into particle flow animations and tree renders, which I have overlayed and stitched together into a video that illuminates with the cadence of my own breath. I also sought the help of Aaron Bugaj, Media Producer for Biosphere 2, to film a performance within the rainforest at night. It was interesting to see this space in the dark, lit only by flashlight – a reminder that while the facility was closed, the biomes are still alive and active.

All photos by Stephanie Van Riet

Allegory of the Sphere and Other Shadows – Stephanie Van Riet, MFA Sculpture ‘26

With a highly publicized history, Biosphere 2 remains an extremely unique human venture, originating from a desire to understand the mysteries of how our planet operates. Being curious about the ways our species seeks to understand our place in this web of life, I jumped at the opportunity to spend two months here, immersed within the rhythms and research carried out by passionate scientists and engineers. The facility looks like a spacecraft, nestled at the base of the Santa Catalina mountains in Arizona. In addition to its unique facade, the space provides the ability to walk through a rainforest, savannah, desert and ocean biome in the time span of fifteen minutes.

Within my first days on site, my body was sensorially saturated by the experience of moving between the different biomes, each carrying their own characteristic scents and humidity levels. A warm breeze swirls around the ocean biome prompted by the wave machine, while the scheduled rain in the rainforest amplifies the smell of decaying leaves. I’ve learned to avoid the top level of the rainforest midday, as it becomes unbearably humid and hot. After two weeks onsite, I have adjusted to the environment changes, almost forgetting that I have spent the entire day “indoors”.

Documentation of shadows and temperature differences within biomes

Peter Pierce’s space frame overhead, characteristic of Biosphere 2, is a strong reminder of being in an enclosed space. Fascinated by the shadows cast by the geometrically arranged bars, I have been routinely tracing the shadows with ink on watercolor paper. As the shadows travel across the page with the afternoon sunlight, the ink records begin to overlap. Adding observational details to each shadow drawing, I reference the hydrosphere (ocean biome), lithosphere (landscape evolution observatory), and atmosphere (rainforest biome).

Sketches created in landscape evolution observatory, ocean biome, and rainforest biome

Tucked underneath the biomes there is a network of hallways that contain various pipes and busy machines, crucial to the facility function. It is easy to get lost in the concrete surroundings, guided only by text over the doorways that read “Rainforest Mountain Level 2” or “Desert Basement.”

Below the savanna biome

While navigating the hallways, I became curious about a particular airlock door with a window to the outdoors. The door exists in a dark corner, and I have discovered that when I hold my phone camera to the window, a camera obscura effect occurs, reflecting an upside down image of what is going outside. I still haven’t figured out exactly what is happening. I am reminded of Plato’s cave as I use this reflection to observe what is happening outside of Biosphere 2 from the inside —particularly interesting considering that the facility once operated as a sealed container.

All photos by Stephanie Van Riet

Final exhibition

Shenhou County, Yuzhou, Henan

A study of an ancient kiln site in Shenhou, Henan

Except for the teaching and administrative part of my job in this fellowship, all communication between me and the residents is becoming my largest gaining in my practice. I enjoy this kind of old-fashioned way chats with the neighborhood on the street, purposelessly. Some of them take a walk after eating dinner, and some of them cool off under trees in this little county. Everything goes slowly and peacefully, while everyone slows down their steps. After talking with some local parents and elementary students, I found the absence of professional art education. The Chinese government has implemented nine years of compulsory education. Still, art classes in actual schools have often been overlooked or crowded out by other subjects such as math and literature. Even though traditional Jun ceramics surrounds people, most of them have no recognition of generic ceramic arts or the arts. To the public, Jun ceramics have become an iconic symbol in the historical culture. Nevertheless, one of the essential distinctions between parents in Henan and Yunnan is that they were more than willing to send their children to participate in the non-profit program. Some parents in Henan are even more than welcome to invest in their children’s education. They were aware of the demand for art education in rural areas. So the advertising and enrollment of local students have been very smooth and successful, and some parents are fully supportive of our public education organization. However, most of the parents in Yunnan just considered us as babysitters for their children’s summer vacation.

Multiple layers of feldspar, iron oxide, and clay are deposited underground.

Study of local clay and materials with Qi Huisuo

Qi Huisuo’s personal studio

The conversation with Mr. Qi remains in my mind. I enjoyed talking with Mr. Qi the most. Qi Huisuo works as the main designer for the Song Dynasty royal kiln though, his job as designing for mass production ceramics never limited his vision.

In China, especially in Chinese rural areas, there is a large number of people like Qi Huisuo. They never identify themselves as a contemporary artist, but what they are creating and sustaining is true honesty and art. Not like most traditional Chinese ceramicists, Qi is generous, open-minded, knowable, and welcoming. He would love to share the ceramic knowledge that he researched for years. Working as a designer for a mass-productive industry isn’t as fun and cool as it looks. The pre-research and study of local clay and stones is a much time-consumable phase in the ceramic industry. He took a big responsibility of qualifying all designs for all blowing mass production. 

Conceptual thinking and creative art education are essential absences in their elementary school, especially speaking to Shenhou County, after my street interview with the residents. Most of the children and families I accessed in Shenhou are much more educated, urbanized, and open-minded, especially compared with the situation we met in Yunnan. They have relatively rich art materials, convenient transportation, and favorable life conditions. Surprisingly, parents in Shenhou value the importance of kids’ education, and invest the most in this aspect, especially compared to the situation in Yunan. However, the lack of support for arts in elementary education proves that unequal development and resources of arts are common in the countryside.

To the ten-day workshop, I have committed with designer Qi Huisuo about the main concept of our teaching for these children — creative thinking.

The first art lecture

The parallel creative writing workshop took place every afternoon.

In pursuit of answers, we’ve embarked on a bold experiment, and education serves as the simplest and most direct experimental process. With the generous support of the largest porcelain factory in Shenzhou, the Da Song Kiln, and the Maharam Fund, we organized a summer ceramics camp focused on ‘contemporary art.’ This art workshop involved 30 local schoolchildren selected from the public. In this camp, we deconstructed the concept of ‘contemporary art’ and dismantled all preconceived notions about Jun porcelain. The result was an array of whimsical creations from a fully-charged kiln. For ten days, there were no rules, no requirements, and no homework. We not only supported the students with a studio art class but also invited a literature volunteer to guide the kids in writing statements and poems. In the first lecture, I introduced some contemporary performance artists who would have utilized the interaction between their bodies and clay to present their ideas, like my professor Nicholas Oh, and RISD alumni Nayoung Jeong. In addition, I also displayed some famous post-modernism and abstract painters, like Keifer, and Hilma af Klint. It is pretty brave and radical to discuss contemporary arts with these 10-year-old children in ritual. Out of expectation, the class was very communicative, enthusiastic, and inspiring. Most children are interested in abstract art with thoughtful patterns, colors and constructions. Kids’ active replies and exploration of those conceptual works also evoked my imagination about the abstract arts, which is way beyond the knowledge I learned from art history. Some kids’ parents audited our lecture and then they participated in the discussion naturally.

Meanwhile, the tug-of-war with the kids is exhausting. To be honest, the 10-day process of the workshop is also a big challenge for these little kids. Whether we can categorize these brief, heartfelt children’s creations as art is uncertain, but they unquestionably glowed with the radiant light of childlike innocence and sincerity. Like a charming, nonsensical melody or a handful of poetic verses, they encapsulated the pure essence of childhood and pointed to the innate artistry within us all.