Back in the 1980’s, when I was reluctantly braving life in the big city of Washington in order to establish myself as an artist while longing for the peace and open spaces of the Eastern Shore, my view of art was changed forever when I read the first edition of John Beardsley’s seminal book, Earthworks and Beyond, Contemporary Art in the Landscape. Imagine my excitement when The Spy invited me to interview Beardsley about his upcoming talk at Washington College.
In this, the first of the College’s new lecture series on art in the environment, Beardsley, currently Director of Landscape Studies at Dumbarton Oaks, will give an illustrated talk on Wednesday, October 17 at 5:00 at Decker Theater entitled “Art in the Environment, Sketches from the Field.” Much of his talk will outline the development of art made not for the gallery, but created out in the environment, relating directly to the landscape and the way we experience our relationship with the earth.
“Broadly, it’s about art in the environment beginning with the great age of landscape art in the 19th century,” Beardsley explained, citing artists such as Thomas Cole and Albert Bierstadt whose breathtaking paintings of rivers and mountain ranges helped to form our collective view of the American landscape. “These artists were concerned about changes in the environment—loss of habitat and loss of biodiversity.”
In keeping with Washington College’s exciting new initiative focusing on interdisciplinary approaches to environmental studies with environmental art as a core element, Beardsley plans to show the continuity between the aims of these landscape painters and recent artists who share the same concerns.
“I believe we’re now in a 2nd great age of landscape art,” he said. “In both instances, we see the way artists react to environmental concerns, how art helps articulate our relationship with the environment.”
To understand why this is so important, think about what we have here in Chestertown and on the Eastern Shore in general. While we lack the major museums and inspiring artist-designed parks you find in big cities like Washington and New York, we have the open landscape and beautiful water that those city people long for. We’re well aware that this fine and beloved region is threatened by overdevelopment and environmental degradation. Environmental art can provide a context for addressing these problems and celebrating the beauty, richness and heritage of this place.
Unlike paintings and sculptures on pedestals, environmental art isn’t cloistered within the white walls of a gallery. It’s right out there in the landscape. It draws attention to the surrounding environment, helping us to empathize with the natural world and connecting us to the deeper truths of the environment that we may easily miss in the rush of everyday life.
As Beardsley says, “Art has a way of drawing awareness to the environment and providing a symbolic language, building the relationship between people and their landscape.”
With its Center for Environment and Society and the Chester River Field Research Station, Washington College is becoming known for its innovative approach to environmental studies. Its first class in environmental art was launched this autumn by Lecturer Alex Castro, using the latest edition of Beardsley’s Earthworks and Beyond as its textbook.
The author of numerous books on contemporary art and design, Beardsley is currently serving as Director of Harvard University’s Garden and Landscape Studies at Dumbarton Oaks. There he oversees various programs including annual symposia, a fellowship program, and an ongoing series of temporary art installations in the Dumbarton’s gardens. Currently on view is “Cloud Terrace,” an amorphous sculpture by Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot formed of wire mesh and water-drop crystals suspended over a reflecting pool on Dumbarton’s Arbor Terrace.
“We present temporary pieces that don’t change the historic gardens,” Beardsley explained. “They introduce different ways of seeing the garden. The Cao-Perrot piece explores the importance of light, reflection and color.”
Emphasizing that although Dumbarton’s gardens are historic, they do evolve through the seasons and over time, he said, “A garden is a living thing, changing all the time, reminding us that it’s a dynamic space.”
The same is true of our Chesapeake Bay environment. Both natural processes and manmade interventions are constantly changing the Bay region. Beardsley sees great promise in Washington College’s plans for environmental studies linking disciplines including the arts and sciences. This interdisciplinary approach is an exciting venture into understanding the processes behind these changes and providing a broader context for how we can work to preserve and enhance our beautiful but fragile environment.
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