Over the past year and a half, DIY Mushroom Cultivation author and VMS member Willoughby Arevalo, and Still Moon Arts Society founder and Artistic Director Carmen Rosen collaborated on a series of living mycelial sculptures which are installed in Renfrew Park. They will discuss their inspiration, process, and some techniques for sculpting in collaboration with living fungi.

 

Willoughby’s lifelong friendship with fleshy fungi has led him down a mycelial pathway – from a start in field identification and mushroom hunting, branching into cuisine, DIY cultivation, farming, education, writing and eco-arts. In his thirty years of self-motivated inquiry and intimate lived experience with fungi, he has spent the last decade prioritizing sharing mycology with people in communities across North America This has manifested in numerous presentations, art projects, teaching tours, collaborations, gatherings, and his new book, DIY Mushroom Cultivation, out now from New Society Publishers.

 

Carmen is a visual artist, singer, and interdisciplinary performer. She has a long history of initiating art projects and creative community integrated projects that have resulted in enrichment of school programs, community enhancement, and ongoing creative work for many artists and community members. Carmen is the founder and artistic director of Still Moon Arts Society: inspiring vibrant and connected communities by creating art and nurturing a passion for nature. Through Still Moon and in collaboration with many community partners, she creates the Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival, Still Creek Stories, Reflecting Still Creek Art and Stewardship, and many other projects.