Interwoven by Marilee Salvator
We’re so excited to share that 2026 Regional Artist in Residence Marilee Salvator’s kombucha SCOBY inspired installation about ecological systems is now on display in the Sassafras Room in the Visitor Center. SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) is a thin, pancake-shaped biofilm formed during the fermentation of tea.
From the artist:
Interwoven grows from my ongoing exploration of ecological systems, living materials, and the relationships that connect them.
For this installation, I combine fallen branches, invasive vines, naturally shed snake skins, hand-grown SCOBY membranes, and other materials gathered throughout the forest and arboretum. I harvest invasive vines, strip away their bark, and weave them into organic forms that echo patterns of growth, movement, and interconnection.
I preserve the SCOBY membranes and, in many cases, transform them with teas, natural pigments, and cyanotype processes before incorporating them into the work. I weave naturally shed snake skins throughout the installation as symbols of transformation and renewal, reflecting cycles of growth, adaptation, and continual change found throughout the natural world.
The use of invasive plant species is central to my practice. By harvesting and transforming honeysuckle, one of the most persistent invasive plants at Bernheim, I reimagine an ecological challenge as creative possibility. Plants removed as part of forest restoration are given a temporary second life within the installation. Through this transformation, I invite viewers to reflect on stewardship, intervention, resilience, and the complex relationships that exist within managed ecosystems.
The installation has been shaped not only by the materials I gathered but also by the time I spent listening and paying attention. I attended several Bernheim programs, wandered the forest after dark accompanied by frog and toad choruses, searched for signs of beavers and watched them moving through the water, and spent countless hours observing the rhythms of the forest.
At the heart of my practice is a collaboration with living materials. By allowing growth, time, and the inherent characteristics of each collected element to shape the installation, I create an environment that reflects the reciprocal relationship between artist, material, and forest. I do not see these materials simply as media. I see them as collaborators whose histories, behaviors, and transformations become integral to the work itself.
Ultimately, I see Interwoven as both a record of my time at Bernheim and a continuation of my evolving practice. By gathering, cultivating, and transforming materials over the past year, I hope to extend the forest into the Sassafras Room and invite visitors to slow down, look closely, and reflect on the intricate relationships that shape, sustain, and continually transform the forest around them.
Marilee will be returning to Bernheim to give a talk on her intriguing work this winter.
About the Artist:
Marilee has exhibited worldwide, and her work is included in 35 public art collections, including the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland and the Sakima Art Museum in Okinawa, Japan. Notable grants include support from South Arts, the Kentucky Foundation for Women, and the Great Meadows Foundation. She is a professor of art at Western Kentucky University.
