![Installation view of Very Sad Lab: The Incubator at Transformer, a living, growing site-specific installation, resource lab, and series of pre-plant-parent programs by Very Sad Lab, a houseplant rehabilitation and research-based community-engaged art project developed by DC based artists Valerie Wiseman and Naoko Wowsugi, February – March 2022, mixed media (sculpture, plants, video, sound) installation. Courtesy of Transformer.](https://warholfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/5.-Very-Sad-Lab-Exhibition-Shot-760x570.jpg)
Transformer is an artist-centered visual arts organization that connects and promotes emerging artists & emerging arts leaders within local, national and international contexts. Their mission is to provide a consistent, supportive, and professional platform for these artists and arts leaders to explore and present experimental artistic concepts, build audiences for their work, and advance their careers. The organization makes use of its sizable network of institutional partners to extend an impressive range of creative and professional opportunities to emerging artists. Collaborations with various organizations of have enabled Transformer to host regional, national and international exhibitions, exchanges and public events; it also operates a summer residency program in Asbury Park, NJ.