Mapstories and more at AASHE

Detail from Mapstories, 2011

I'll be displaying Mapstories at the Minneapolis Convention Center Sunday-Tuesday, October 25-27 as part of the expo hall art exhibits for the Association for the Advancement for Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) annual conference this week.

Mapstories, 2011,  is a large, interactive, multimedia artist’s book. Viewers/participants explore the layers to reveal images of places where hidden paths of water connect a school on the map with the Mississippi River – the source and destination of the water that flows through the students’ classroom sink. The artwork was part of a participatory art-led environmental education project called Downstream/Upstream using a curriculum model developed by the artist called Earth Systems Journey. The map was installed at the students’ school in 2011 and grew during the project to include photographs taken by children, ages 4-6, while on their water journey.

I'll also be speaking about art and art-led environmental projects at AASHE. Monday, I co-present River Journey with other team members and talk about "Mapping Campus Connections:  Using GIS Story Maps as Part of Place-based, Art-led, Environmental Education." On Tuesday, I co-present with curator/moderator, Roslye Ultan and three other artists on "Art as Vital Agent in the Spiral of Sustainable Change."

Invitation to Exhibit Reception: We Watch the Stream Tuesday, October 6th

,,,Behind on blogging, and updates, but for now, I want to invite you to the closing reception for the exhibit We Watch the Stream: Impressions of River Journey. Here's the Info:

 June 15, 2015 – October 12, 2015

Commons Meeting and Art Space at Institute on the Environment, U of M
Reception: Tuesday, October 6th, 2015 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, short program at 5:00 pm

R350 Learning & Environmental Sciences, 1954 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108
Open Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Parking is available behind the building in the Gortner Avenue Ramp.

we watch the stream: Impressions from River Journey

Jonee Kulman Brigham with River’s Edge Academy

How do we learn to see the deep interconnections we have with the world around us? It is challenging when our language and social-economic structures divide the world into so many parts. Common maps divide the land by property or political boundaries. Multiple organizations manage different parts of the continuous stream of water that passes through our buildings in hidden pipes and unlabeled channels. Visibility and value are intertwined — unseen elements can easily be neglected. Through River Journey, students found the pieces of their water story and stitched them back together.

During the 2014-2015 school year, high school students at River’s Edge Academy participated in an art-led, environmental education project called “River Journey: Exploring the Value of the Mississippi River,” led by Jonee Kulman Brigham, design researcher, artist, and developer of the educational model. Students traveled from their school’s kitchen sink, tracing the path of water along upstream and downstream infrastructure, to reveal how they and their school are interconnected with the Mississippi River. Along the way, they met with community members, and engaged with water, infrastructure, poetry, reflective writing, and photography to develop an appreciation for the river and the water it provides.

The exhibit includes artworks and documentation of the River Journey project including photographs, maps, reflective writing, and objects used for water interactions. The project and exhibit is made possible through a fellowship from Institute on the Environment, and the support of River’s Edge Academy, many community partners, and Full Spring Studio.  

See website for more information at http://rea-river-journey.blogspot.com/p/exhibit.html