Meet Alexis Williams | Eco-artist research program director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexis Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexis, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
For me work has always been all or nothing. For the first 7 years of my artist residency business I was Full time, with a capital F. When I started running the residency as the Ayatana Artists’ Research Program I was hosting small groups of visiting artists in Canada and leading them on intensive adventures into biology research labs, natural history museum collections and the wilderness with field naturalists. By the end of the 7 day programs we would have been on between 10 and 15 workshops and field trips and everyone would be saturated with information, inspiration and worn out. While the artists were with me it was a 16hour x 7day job, and I’d often only have a few days in-between before the next group arrived which was spent booking scientists and restocking the house. I’d do this 7 – 9 times a year and the rest of the year I’d travel to South America and work between 40 and 80 hours a week on administration but I’d do it from trains in the Andes or jungle huts in the Amazon. I worked on average 100 hours a week and rarely had a day “off” and when I did, I found myself exploring the wild and going to biology talks and doing lots of the same things that I do for my job.

When Covid happened I changed our name to the Biophilium, moved the program online and found that we were suddenly far more accessible to artists because they no longer needed passports, plane tickets, time off work or babysitters and we now have access to scientists anywhere in the world. The administrative part of my job is largely the same but the hands on, performative/teaching side is much gentler, and spread out. I spend 3 – 4 hours a day on Zoom rather than 16 hours face to face. I no longer have to keep people safe, or fed, or navigate roads, or entertain people all day. It’s given me loads of time to reconnect with my naturalist practice, which is what started all this in the first place. I have time to have a blog and a social media presence and to read all the books in the Biophilium Library. I have time to learn new mushroom species and to be a competitive birder and to deepen my relationship to the wild. It’s made me a far better teacher and given me lots more to share.

Sometimes people ask me if the things I do everyday in the wild are for my work and all can can really say is “as apposed to what?” As a creative naturalist, a wildlife interpreter and teacher it’s impossible for me to separate work/life because everything I do informs my work.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Ayatana’s Biophilium is a science school for artists. We operate as Canadian residency dedicated to encouraging international artists in their engagement with and appreciation of wildlife. We currently offer two-week long, thematic online study seminars centered around lectures by researchers that are framed by artist talks, studio visits, field trips and workshops. Each residency focuses on a specialized topic related to wildlife or death. We invite artists working with common themes into an environment where they can immerse themselves deeply into their studies.

In 2023 we are offering 10 day research residencies on invasive species, non-human communication, botany and the biology of color. We are also hosting webinars on the art and science of birds, botany, mycology, ecology and death rituals. We host a free monthly Death Cafe for artists to talk about mortality and grieving practices and we continue to host the Biophilium Book Club on line for anyone to hear about our favorite books about ecology, wildlife and death.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Our residents visiting Ottawa usually get to see the National Gallery of Canada, Gatineau Park, laboratories at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, the National Museum of Nature Herbarium and large Skeleton Collections, the National Collection of Insects Arachnids and Nematodes. We might learn to fly a plain, (or jump out of one) sneak into an abandoned building, or go out to call owls in the middle of the night. And if we have time we like to squeeze in a visit to the Mer Bleue Bog.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

The Biophilium family wouldn’t exist without my family, my parents who encouraged the development of the program and fed hundreds of visiting artists 3 squares a day. My favorite review of the program from a resident is “a Geekfest with great food”.

Over the years we’ve enjoyed the enthusiasm of hundreds of scientists, naturalists, farmers, activists, and funeral directors whose points of view have deepened our understanding of the nature of the world and given us validation to continue our creative practices full force.

After a few years I began to invite some of our alumni to join the crew as Expedition Leaders who herded artists and shared their expertise and insight, which deeply enriched everyone’s experience. This team of smart weirdos have become integral to the Biophilium and continue to support me as teaching assistants and now as teachers on their own.

I cherish the friendships I’ve made with amazing creative people from all around the world and from every creative discipline you can imagine. I’m so happy when I hear that my residents maintain relationships and collaborations with each other after their residencies with us.

Website: https://www.artayatana.com/

Instagram: @the.biophilium

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AyatanaResearchers/

Other: Biophilum Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/116590580359225 Biophilium Death Club: https://www.artayatana.com/Death%20Cafe.html Biophilium Bulletin: https://mailchi.mp/d32f0e9e5361/ayatanas-bophilium-bulletin

Image Credits
I took all these photos