Arica Duhrkoop-Galas, PLA, ASLA
Arica grew up in various parts of Oregon, gaining exposure to the ecoregions that make this place special through much time spent outdoors; camping with her family, growing vegetables with her mom, exploring with her sister, and rock climbing with her husband. She moved to Eugene in 2000 to study Landscape Architecture and quickly found a sense of community here. Practicing primarily in the residential design field for over 15 years, Arica worked for two small firms before starting Artemisia Landscape Architecture in response to the urgency of climate change. She has honed her plant knowledge from years of teaching at the University of Oregon and brings overall project sustainability to the forefront of design, through her knowledge of natural systems and construction materials; a marriage of her research based teaching and her practical project management experience.
Ashlyn Tahlier, Senior Designer, ASLA
Ashlyn became interested in landscape and ecological design after relocating from northeast Wisconsin and feeling a constant draw to the beauty, seasonality, and functions of plants in the Pacific Northwest. Since pursuing landscape architecture her interests have grown to include climate resilient landscape and rewilding strategies, soil remediation, and promoting welfare and equality through accessibility to green space and interaction with native and novel ecosystems. A plant nerd at heart, her design work aims to showcase the unique qualities of different plant species, from aesthetic to ecological functions. Her favorite past times include; camping and hiking the Cascade Range, biking, disc golf, spoiling her Picardy shepherds, and gardening.
Nancy Silvers, ASLA
Nancy’s earliest plant memory shows two tiny hands knowingly planting a peach pit beside the patio of her childhood home. While almost always on horseback, she grew up alongside lindens and sycamores, lightning bugs and cardinals. At nineteen, she left the blue-hued landscape of southeastern Pennsylvania for the green Willamette Valley. After over two decades as a professional gardener, raising a family, and completing her Landscape Architecture degree, Nancy continues pursuing her love of this world through design practice, voracious reading, and being outside whenever possible. When not at the computer, she is painting, gardening, cooking, exploring new ideas with a local art collective, or taking long strolls with her greyhound. She serves on the Board of Directors at Maude Kerns Art Center and has worked as the Coordinator and Field Assistant for the Fuller Initiative for Productive Landscapes for five years. These days she hand pollinates her peach tree with a paintbrush each spring.