Bamboo DNA was founded by artist and New York City native Gerard Minakawa, who created the company in response to an immediate need for unique, high performance bamboo materials with which to design and construct his structures. Minakawa holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and recently taught a design class for the school in Bolivia, where he had lived for three years working with indigenous artisans prior to creating Bamboo DNA. He is an award-winning designer whose work has been featured in numerous publications, events and exhibitions around the world.