Our 2025 Artist-in-Residence: Pippin Frisbie-Calder

Pippin Frisbie-Calder named LSU Vet Med’s acclaimed artist-in-residence

The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine proudly announces its fourth artist-in-residence, Pippin Frisbie-Calder, an acclaimed visual artist and educator known for her interdisciplinary work at the intersection of art and science.

Frisbie-Calder, an adjunct professor at Tulane University in both the Newcomb Art Department and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, will be in residence from Monday, Aug. 4, through Friday, Aug. 29, 2025.

During her residency, she will engage with the clinical, research, and academic environment at LSU Vet Med to create original artworks inspired by her experience. Her residency will culminate in a public exhibition and presentation on Monday, Nov. 10, from 5:30–7:30 p.m. in the LSU Vet Med Library.

“Pippin has devoted a decade to closely observing the Louisiana swamps in collaboration with microbiologists, ornithologists, and ecologists. She is a perfect choice as our next Artist-in-Residence to illuminate the interconnectedness of art and science. We place our artists alongside clinicians in our teaching hospital and researchers in our laboratories. The artists’ creative processes mirror scientific rigor and demonstrate interdisciplinary fluency,” said Sandra Sarr, communications and Artist-in-Residence manager at LSU Vet Med.

Frisbie-Calder’s work—spanning printmaking, woodcutting, silkscreening, and large-scale installation—often centers on bioindicators such as birds, raising awareness of endangered species and environmental challenges. Her artistic practice embodies the One Health philosophy, which emphasizes the deep connection between human, animal, and environmental health.

“Through educational and interactive art, I strive to inspire environmental stewardship,” Frisbie-Calder said. “Tasking each viewer to consider how art and science together can solve many of the issues facing us today.”

An accomplished artist, her work has been exhibited at prominent institutions, including the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum, New Orleans Contemporary Art Center, Southeastern Louisiana University, Capitol Park Museum, University of West Florida, Urban Institute for Contemporary Art, Waterfall Arts, and the Biennale Internationale d'Estampe Contemporaine. She has participated in artist residencies at the Joan Mitchell Center, A Studio in the Woods, Big Cypress National Preserve, and several others.

“I create large-scale installations and prints exploring issues of climate change, species extinction, and environmental stewardship. The materiality of printmaking reverses its subject and injects personality into every mark, transforming my drafting in different ways depending on the use of wood, collagraph, or screen. The specificity of science requires reimagining my print practice and changes my methodology in service to ornithology or ecology,” she said.

Frisbie-Calder’s passion for nature was sparked early. She was homeschooled aboard a boat built by her parents, spending her childhood sailing through Cuba, the Caribbean, and Central America. Born in Hammond, Louisiana, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design and returned home to complete a Master of Fine Arts at Tulane University. She is currently represented by Ann Connelly Fine Art in Baton Rouge and LeMieux Galleries in New Orleans.

“We are delighted to attract artists of Pippin Frisbie-Calder’s caliber to our growing Artist-in-Residence Program. Her keen observations and interpretations of the natural world lay the groundwork for not only creating beautiful art but also posing questions that are vital to the health of animals, humans, and the natural world. We embrace the humanities, including art, music, and literature, in our work at LSU Vet Med,” said Dr. Oliver Garden, dean of LSU Vet Med.

LSU Vet Med’s Artist-in-Residence Program—the first of its kind at a U.S. veterinary school—was launched in 2022. Each year, the program invites a new artist to explore the intersection of art and veterinary science, with disciplines ranging from visual art and music to poetry and filmmaking.

Past artists-in-residence include:

• Shelby Prindaville, visual artist (2022), who produced an exhibition of paintings and ceramics utilizing materials from veterinary medicine
• Charlie Rauh, composer and musician (2023), whose residency produced an album of 13 songs and a concert with LSU’s A Cappella Choir
• Brandon Kilbourne, poet and evolutionary biologist (2024), who concluded his residency with a public poetry reading

To explore Frisbie-Calder’s work and learn more about her process, visit pippinfrisbiecalder.com and her Wikipedia page.

For more information about the Artist-in-Residence Program at LSU Vet Med, contact Sandra Sarr, communications manager, at sarr1@lsu.edu.

Photos by Cedric Angeles

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