Maru Garcia was Artist-in-Residence at the Pando at Maryknoll campus during the 2020-21 period. She came with both a MS in Biotechnology from Tecnológico de Monterrey and a Masters in Fine Arts from UCLA. She works and performs research at the intersection of science and art.
Maru Garcia had her residency split into two periods. In the first, she worked with bio-materials to try and grow “plastic” the way plants grow. This represents cutting edge research in bio-plastics – an effort to create plastic-like material from organic matter to help reduce the effects of actual plastic on the planet.
Aside from continuing her work with membranes and “growing plastic,” the second period Maru put her effort into rehabilitating, “building,” soil via composting and started a new project called “Pb (Prospering Backyards)”. There, she used the power of art, science and community to address lead contamination in the soil of South East LA.
Her work, both as a part of a human community at Maryknoll campus and with biological communities of soil, led her to better understand the interconnected nature of all things.
Maru comments, “In the beginning, I thought I was going to ‘make a project’ but I now understand that I came to build relationships, with other humans but also with the more than humans. I am very grateful to have had this opportunity.”
You can see more of Maru’s work at her website here.