BAASICS (2011 – 2019)
In 2011, I co-founded BAASICS (Bay Area Art & Science Interdisciplinary Collaborative Sessions) with artist, curator, and designer Selene Foster.
BAASICS envisioned a culture in which the fine arts and sciences are complementary parts of our popular discourse, together able to provide an exceptional understanding of our world and of what it means to be human. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit was dedicated to exploring contemporary topics through the juxtaposition of art and science. To this end, we produced entertaining and informative live programs, exhibitions, and digital media that made the contemporary fine arts and sciences accessible and inspiring for a popular audience. Each BAASICS program was dedicated to a particular theme, and the participants — scientists, visual artists, musicians, or dancers — expressed their brilliance and shared their passions in whatever way they chose. While each presentation stood on its own, we weaved the various elements of each production together so that each BAASICS program was a unified whole.
The Endangered Species Print Project (2009 – 2018)
The Endangered Species Print Project (ESPP) was a project conceived and run by artists Molly Schafer & Jenny Kendler. The ESPP raised awareness and funds for endangered species through the sale of limited-edition art prints. During its nine-year run, the ESPP raised over $15,000 for critically endangered species.
Each ESPP print was editioned to reflect the number of individuals remaining in the wild, for example only 45 Amur Leopards remain in the wild so the ESPP printed and sold 45 Amur Leopard prints. Prints were made on paper made from bamboo, a renewable resource. At least 50% of the sale of each print was donated to conservation efforts.
The ESPP prints have been exhibited in multiple exhibitions around the country including the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago, Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, and Root Division in San Francisco.
I created two prints for the ESPP.
Lonesome George (2013)
On June 24, 2012, at the age of 100-and-something, conservation icon Lonesome George passed away. With his death, the Pinta Island tortoise subspecies became extinct.
Following his discovery in 1971, George became an international symbol of the extinction crisis, but he lived the remaining 41 years of his life as the very last individual of his kind. Despite numerous searches, no other Pinta Island tortoise was ever found, and attempts to allow George to breed with related tortoise subspecies were unsuccessful.
“Project George” was conceived by the Endangered Species Print Project as a way to honor Lonesome George’s memory and raise awareness about critically endangered species. My print was one of two released for “Project George.” From the ESPP press release: “The project launches with artwork by two artists who are passionate about conservation and often feature endangered species in their work, Jonathan Woodward and Christopher Reiger. Interestingly enough, both artists contributed collages. Woodward's cut paper collage style has received critical acclaim; in 2011 and 2012 he was a finalist for BBC's Wildlife Artist of the Year. Reiger’s print, a digital collage that was printed, aged, and photographed, breaks new ground for the artist. Reiger has already contributed two of our best loved ESPP prints to date. All proceeds from the project will be donated to the Galapagos Conservancy's Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative.” My print is intended as an elegy, but one that also evokes the empathy our species can experience for other animals.
Snapshots From Home Ground (2013)
Snapshots From Home Ground is a limited edition chapbook produced in conjunction with the Aggregate Space Writer-in-Residence Program and Featherboard Writing Series. It was released in August 2013.
A meditation on my rural upbringing on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, the book is comprised of eight vignettes and a selection of photographs taken by either me or my father.
Copies are available through Aggregate Space Gallery and Featherboard.
