Art+Sci Workshop: Developing Your Creative Practice
At the North American Congress for Conservation Restoration (NACCR) | Society of Conservation Biology Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
July 15, 2026 | 4 pm - 6 pm
Facilitators: Derek Russell and Megan Elevado
Creature Conserve is hosting an interactive Art+Sci Workshop, Developing Your Creative Practice, at NACCR designed to explore the possibilities of art-sci collaboration in conservation and restoration. The goal is to give participants practice using creative tools to solve problems and engage audiences in new ways.
This two-hour workshop on July 15 (4:00-6:00 PM) includes two artist presentations followed by a collaborative break-out session with creative “making” time. Participants will also have the opportunity to experiment with different artistic media that they can incorporate into their scientific work.
The Creature Conserve Exhibitor Table at NACCR will include an exhibit/installation with examples of art-sci collaboration in conservation and restoration that can grow over time.
Questions asked during the workshop
What makes an art-sci collaboration?
What makes an art-sci project collaborative?
Why make an art-sci collaboration?
How do we make an art-sci collaboration?
Goals for participants
Explore the possibilities of art-sci collaboration in conservation and restoration.
Gain practice using creative tools to solve problems and engage audiences in new ways.
Experiment with different artistic media that can be incorporated into their scientific work.
Creature Connect
Interested in connecting with creatives at Creature Conserve? Please fill out our Creature Connect google form. [Note this form is separate from registration for the workshop.]
Workshop Facilitator Bios
Derek Russell is a Fulbright Scholar and architectural researcher from Colorado who dedicates his efforts to community driven design as a way to incite resilience. His research encompasses geopolitics, material culture, and artistic research towards cultural preservation practices in communities of the Amazon Rainforest. He is the founder and director of Creature Conserve’s Mentorship Program.
Megan Elevado is an artist and historian exploring through ceramics, illustration, and multi-media installation. Megan’s artistic practice is informed by her experience working and studying at NYC art and cultural institutions including the American Museum of Natural History, Parsons The New School for Design, and the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Most of Megan’s work imagines a less human-centric world, creating creatures, real and imagined, who serve as avatars, facilitators, and guides. Megan is currently the Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Beaver Research Fellow at Beaver Institute, Curatorial Fellow at AnkhLave Arts Alliance, and Urban Environmental Health Lab Fellow at Human Impacts Institute.