Classes You Didn't Know You Could Take: Art, Environment and Place with Kim Stringfellow

Kim Stringfellow

Art, Environment and Place (Art/Malas 596) 

T/TH 2:00 to 3:15 pm online

Units: 3

Are there any Prerequisite(s)?: No (upper division undergraduate course)

Online Synchronous Seminar

How I would describe this class to someone I met in line at the coffee cart:

Art, Environment, and Place is a hybrid (mostly online instruction) upper-division undergraduate seminar exploring the convergence of interdisciplinary art practice, field-based creative research, and environmental studies.

Who should definitely take this class?

Students interested in creative thinking, placemaking, ecoarts, art/science collaborations, cultural geography, and regional sustainability through creative problem-solving.

Who should not take this class?

Those who refuse to think out of the box or outside of their chosen fields of study. Those who do not feel comfortable sharing conceptual ideas in a group setting.

Why I’m enthusiastic about teaching this class/Why I love this subject:

This is what I do in my own creative practice! I want to share my research, influences, and creative processes with my students. To learn more about my work visit kimstringfellow.com.

How I’m preparing for this class:

Doing a lot of reading in the High Sierras this summer while camping!

Three things you’ll learn/do in this class:

• How artists are integrating various field research strategies borrowed from the natural sciences, geography, and other disciplines to create rich transdisciplinary works of art.
• Learn about art projects focused on regional histories, Indigenous perspectives, environmental issues and ecological concerns including climate change and environmental justice.
• How to create a conscious and critical exploration of place using an array of multimedia tools available on common mobile devices.

Top three reasons you should study with me:

• You don’t need to be an art major or even have traditional artmaking skills to be successful in this course. Non-art majors are welcome and encouraged to enroll!
• ALL students will find application of course content and skills learned in their own fields of study!
• Possible opportunity for a culminating group field-based experience/field trip at a regional location.

The content within this article has been edited by Lizbeth Persons.