On Thursday, May 10, BEI Resident Scholar Advisor Liam Heneghan will be joined by prominent area Chicago artist Barbara Cooper for a conversation at the Barrington Area Library about the intersection of art and science.  Liam will bring his expertise as an ecosystem ecologist, Environmental Science Professor and co-director of DePaul University’s Institute for Nature and Culture.

Cooper is the artist behind Network, the art installation currently housed at the Barrington Area Library inspired in part by the underground world of tree roots. The collaboration came about when the artist heard Liam give a talk entitled “In the Kingdom of Decay” at an exhibition called Rooted in Soil.  She found inspiration in the scholar and author’s presentation, saying “I have composted and gardened for the last 20 years and I find magic in the process of dying and rotting materials transforming into the most beautiful soil.”