Our Inaugural Casa Minka Artists-in-Residence

We decided to jump right in on the residency front. No need to wait for everything to be perfect. The beauty comes from committing and beginning, and building the practice each day.

Casa Minka is thrilled to have Gwendolyn Pieper and Leo Levy as our inaugural artists-in-residence, building on the program and practice during the Trump years at ModNomad Studio in Sausalito.

Gwendolyn Pieper is an artist, climate activist, and aspiring soil scientist, whose work in botanical illustration fuses her passion for natural sciences and plants. She is currently focusing on using her artivism to advocate for soil stewardship and regenerative farming practices as tools to combat climate change, restore health to ecosystems and people, and grow community resilience.

During her residency she plans to continue this work, create and share new place-inspired artwork in her favorite mediums: ink wash and watercolor, and plan the gardens at Casa Minka. She is excited to connect her advocacy work on cover crops and no-till farming to the land here and explore ways to build and improve soil health while creating gardens that display the beauty and importance of diversity.

For more information visit gwendolynpieper.myportfolio.com."

Leo Levy is a multimedia storyteller whose work explores pressing social issues, resonant historical narratives and tall tales full of timeless imagination. In his visual art and comics, Leo blends traditional techniques and materials like India ink illustration, watercolor and film photography with a variety of digital processes. He also writes, makes occasional sculptures, and has created short films ranging from historical nonfiction to poetic animation.

During his residency at Casa Minka, Leo is working on three projects. First, a cautionary (and ghostly) comic about the deadly 1903 typhoid epidemic in Ithaca, NY. Second, a suite of watercolor illustrations in collaboration with poet Glenn Barnes. Last but not least, a pamphlet promoting regenerative agricultural practices in collaboration with Gwendolyn and the Taos Land Trust.

For more information, visit leolevy.myportfolio.com."

Instagram: @casaminkataos