Lectures/Discussion

January 19, 2010
The End of Land Art
Kelley Wacker
5:00 PM (CST), 005 Biggin Hall

Land Art—what is it, when did it develop, and how has it evolved in the contemporary U.S.? Art historian Kelly Wacker lays the groundwork for understanding the progression of the Land Art movement. A reception will follow the lecture.

February 2, 2010
Artistic Imagination + Habitat Devastation = Environmental Restoration
Linda Weintraub
5:00 PM (CST), 005 Biggin Hall

How would you portray Mother Nature? Is she fertile, nurturing, and healthy? Or is she frail and tarnished, in need of restoration? Writer, curator, educator, and artist Linda Weintraub looks at pioneering efforts of artists who are redefining art for an age characterized by widespread environmental concerns. A reception will follow the lecture.

February 11, 2010
Armegardden
Jeff Schmuki
5:00 PM (CDT), 005 Biggin Hall

Can art help create a sustainable future? How can community, empowerment, and environmental education counter environmental degradation? Jeff Schmuki discusses ecology, sustainability, and a do-it-yourself philosophy as evidenced in his exhibit, Agritecture, which runs until Feb. 26 in Biggin Hall. A reception will follow the lecture.

February 18, 2010
Designing to Enable: A Case for Civic Agriculture and A Culture of Resistance
Matthew Groshek
5:00 PM (CST), 005 Biggin Hall

How can a university encourage its students to become involved in their community? What is the social network that makes community gardens sustainable? Matthew Groshek—assistant professor, Herron School of Art and Design, IUPUI—provides insights based on his work with his campus administration to create an on-campus community garden. A reception will follow the lecture.

March 23, 2010
Welcoming the Wild
Fritz Haeg
7:00 PM (CDT), Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art

What is the role of the artist and designer in society at large? Can ordinary citizens make a difference in their local ecologies? Artist, architect, gardener, and activist Fritz Haeg is known for transforming American front yards into vegetable gardens. Haeg, the spring 2010 E.T. York Distinguished Lecturer, talks about these gardens and details strategies for weaving wild activities into our existing lives.

April 7, 2010
Discussion: Digging Deeper
5:00 PM (CDT), 112 Rouse Life Sciences Building

What happens when artists make the environment their medium? In what ways is the process of agriculture an aesthetic practice?

Join moderator Barb Bondy of the College of Liberal Arts for the continuation of an interdisciplinary conversation that considers the common ground shared by artists, scholars, scientists, agrarians, designers, and environmentalists. Faculty and staff from the College of Agriculture (Department of Horticulture and Department of Agronomy and Soils), the College of Liberal Arts (Department of Art), and the College of Architecture, Design and Construction (School of Landscape Architecture) dig deeper into the aesthetic, social, and environmental issues addressed by gardening.

April 19, 2010
Garden in the Kindergarten
Susan Herrington
4:00 PM (CDT), 005 Biggin Hall

Did you know that the first German kindergartens contained gardens? How has our understanding of childhood influenced places of play for children today? Join landscape architect Susan Herrington as she traces the development of gardens in kindergartens during the 19th century in Germany and their later transformation in North America.