This three-hour class—Mycelium as a Medium, The Importance of Trees, and Botanical Palettes—was sponsored by The FAR, North Spore, and The Rainbow Vegan Bakery. The session centered on collaboratively developing a project as a group. We began with an introduction to PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), along with an overview of our sponsors and the materials they provided to each participant. We worked directly with mycelium that had been cultivated in my studio prior to the class, each participant received a grow kit from North Spore to take home, along with vegan baked goods from The Rainbow a Vegan Bakery.

 

Throughout the class, we explored the ecological and conceptual importance of trees, including the “wood wide web,” and discussed influential thinkers such as mycologist Paul Stamets (Mycelium Running) and Merlin Sheldrake (Entangled Life). Participants worked with prepared natural dye palettes made from blueberries, pokeberry, and a bell jar containing moss, seashells, and a mycelium substrate. The students were first asked to create individual paintings using these materials while reflecting on the significance and interconnected components of the plant kingdom. I emphasized the role of trees in purifying the air and drew parallels to mycelium as a medium, which, as it dries, can also contribute to environmental remediation.

Drawing from Sheldrake’s book Entangled Life, we discussed the biological and conceptual connections between humans and fungi—including the idea that we share roughly 50% of our DNA—and considered the sensory capacities of fungal networks, such as hyphal threads and their relationship to light perception. These ideas informed our collective goal: to create a single unified artwork composed of contributions from all 12 participants. Much like mycelium networks—made up of countless hyphal threads that form a cohesive whole—this project demonstrated how individual elements can come together to create a larger, interconnected system.

 

The final painting was assembled digitally, allowing participants to view one unified image composed of twelve individual works—an embodiment of shared knowledge, collaboration, and the expansive networks that connect us.