Gardens of Resonance
Friday, August 21 – Sunday, August 23
An exhibition by the Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts 2026 Artist in Residence Corey Watanabe with Teen Program Manager Taína Vargas, Program Assistants Jude Corkren and Eleni Wagner, and Teen Bridge Artists Samantha Destouche, William Fernandes, Zoe Fernandes, Michael Finley, Aaliyah Levy, Laila Limontas, Geovanny Martinez Mojica, Diligent Sankofa, Aiden Troncoso, and Elizabeth Vasquez.
Opening Reception:
Friday, August 21, 2026 at 6-8PM
Experience this work in community at our Opening Reception on Friday, August 21, 6–8 PM! This celebration of Corey and the Teen Bridge Artist’s work will include a panel-style artist talk, music, food, and time to have one-on-one discussions with the artists.
ADMISSION IS FREE *But Donations Are Encouraged *PLEASE RVSP HERE
Gardens of Resonance explores how the environment shapes our identity, experiences, and artistic voice. As conceptualized by Corey, the “Garden of Resonance” is a dynamic, internal landscape that embodies our personal relationship with nature. Its energy is rooted in the interconnected resonance of all beings, serving as the primary source of our creative expression. We in turn nourish these gardens through the act of creation.
Throughout the residency, Corey and the Teen Bridge Artists deepened their relationship with their personal “Gardens of Resonance” by engaging with values of home, community, memory, and activism through a series of site-to-studio workshops. The Teen Bridge Artists led these workshops with our community partners: the Arnold Arboretum, The Food Project, and City Sprouts.
At each site, students used unique tactile media that speak directly to the ephemerality of the landscape, including cyanotype, botanical printing, shibori with natural dyes, and sensory charcoal. The project culminated in the collaborative creation of a large-scale “Resonance Tapestry,” which weaves together the interconnected themes found in each student’s “Garden of Resonance.”
Corey Watanabe’s Bio
Corey (he/him) is a Japanese and Filipino American interdisciplinary artist, landscape architect, and educator. As a biracial descendant of immigrants, his artistic practice is rooted in the power of intersectionality and the richness of diverse histories. Watanabe views the world as a complex web of interconnected relationships, a philosophy that informs an artistic practice centered on activism, tactility, and a deep dialogue with the natural world.
His work explores the fluxes and flows of nature, where human and non-human agencies converge. Watanabe describes his creative journey as the unfolding of an "internal landscape," relying on "visceral traces" (embodied stimuli within the living environment) to guide his hand. Corey holds a BA in Environmental Science & Graphic Design from Northeastern and a master's in landscape architecture from Rhode Island School of Design. This will be his first artist residency.
Gallery Hours:
Fridays 6-8PM, Saturdays 12-5PM, Sundays 12-5PM
