Process Gallery

Explore three major themes from the New England Triennial 2022 in this season’s hands-on Process Gallery designed to engage visitors of all ages with the artists and themes from the exhibition. Draw or write about a memorable experience of yourself in nature as you consider your place in the natural world. Send a postcard to a chosen family member as you explore kinship and ancestral lineage. And practice your alchemy skills as you transform mundane materials into something unexpected as you think about transmutation.

The Lab: Decay

It’s a fact: decay and decomposition have bad street cred. The words themselves conjure images of death, rot, and detritus, and generally make our skin crawl. But there is another side to decay—one of regeneration, and new beginnings. Decay is a sign of a healthy ecosystem, and through decay, new life begins. Forest floors are cleaned, earth becomes rich with fertilization, and our existence is nourished through this vital process.

At the heart of decay sits a humble group of organisms known as decomposers. Leggy millipedes, gooey slime molds, strange-looking mushrooms, and armored beetles are the unlikely heroes that make decomposition and regrowth possible. Often overlooked and usually unappreciated, these small but mighty beings carry out a process essential to our planet’s health.

As you explore The Lab today, remember great things can be found in the most unlikely of places. Consider how architectural decay can create some of our most romantic settings. Look carefully at a decomposer and think about their life-giving contributions as you draw their portraits. Learn how mold in food can help make us stronger and discover how mushrooms and fungus just might save us all