FebrUary 2025 News
Jessica Lagunas, Mantón de plumas, Feathered Shawl, New York, 2022-24, feathers on silk organza, hand-embroidered French knots and fringe (embroidery floss), 56.75” x 56.75”
We are digging in and out of February here at Lost and Found Lab, still immersed in reflection after last month's extraordinary visit to the newly reopened Peabody Museum/Yale with our most recent artist-in-residence, Jessica Lagunas.
We've been eager to visit this newly renovated natural history museum, and what better way to experience it than with a wish list in hand from a visual artist seeking inspiration? Jessica's deep fascination with ornithology, her study of featherwork adornment in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and her personal exploration of how feathers have inspired artists from antiquity to the present, led us to an exceptional cast of characters during our trip to the museum.
Jessica Lagunas (left) meets wih Agnete Lassen
Agnete Lassen and Rebekah DeAngelo treated Jessica to a luxurious viewing of a stunning piece of featherwork (undated) from Peru - still vibrant with such dazzling color. Jessica shared digital images of her work with both Agnete and Rebekah - which set the tone and rhythm of our day. It was such a treat to revisit Jessica’s own works-in-progress alongside these magnificent objects from centuries past….
Our visit then led us deep into what felt like an endless maze of expanding flat files, containing the Peabody’s most spectacular ornithological treasures. Collection manager Kristof Zyskowski guided Jessica through an astonishing selection of specimens that perfectly aligned with her research requests. We were left mystified by his insights into each object shared – all housed in a meticulously maintained, brilliant white vault, with lighting that heightened the vibrancy of each feather preserved from all around the world …
The day was topped off by a lively conversation in the muted light of the museum’s indoor courtyard with Dr. Allison Caplan, scholar of the Art of Late Postclassic and Early Colonial Mesoamerica - which again provided us with a provocative context for Jessica’s current trajectory of art making. We were thrilled to have Dr. Caplan join us back at the Lab a few days later, for a small gathering at the close of Jessica’s residency. We’ll be thinking back on this visit and Jessica’s introduction to the Peabody collections for a long time to come. Huge thanks to everyone at the Peabody who took time to arrange busy calendars to meet with us - and our Lab friends who joined us back in Cos Cob for a discussion with Jessica and Allison on a cold winter’s evening.
Jessica Lagunas and Kristof Zyskowski
At the Lab, we continue to discover the immense value of being together with friends, creatives and curious knowledge seekers to reflect on this world around us. Also special thanks to our November AIR Dano Madden, who concluded his residency not long ago with a collaborative creative writing workshop. Dano seamlessly integrated the Lab’s passion for exploring the intersection of text and image—so beautifully illustrated in James Stevenson’s work—by encouraging open studio attendees to explore the interplay between sketching and dialogue writing. His workshop kept us all engaged, challenged, and reflective long after the sun had set that November evening. We look forward to collaborating with you again sometime soon, Dano.
Dano Madden conducts a writing workshop at Lost and Found Lab
It's deeply satisfying to discover and create ways to gather together and celebrate creativity as a group. Here’s to more of that in the year ahead.
And lastly, a short shout out to Lab alum Dorit Chrysler - who performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Date Night (it’s a thing!) back in October, in the Musical Instruments Gallery. Between the purple uplighting, the backdrop of gold-leaf baroque cherubs, and Dorit’s mesmerizing musicality - we left the museum floating a few inches higher. Paths crossed with Dorit recently back at the Rosen House at nearby Caramoor – sounds like Dorit has something brewing with her on-going research on thereminist Lucie Rosen. Stay tuned, as they say…
Dorit Chrysler performs at the Met
We’ll sign off here with images from the James Prosek book, Art, Artifact, Artifice, chosen for the Lab Library by AIR Jessica Lagunas. Nature serves to inspire us on so many levels!
