Making a Field Guide: Art, Ecology, and the Arboretum

Course Description

Summary

This interdisciplinary studio art and ecology course supports the creation of an updated edition of Trees and Shrubs of Bennington, marking the 50th anniversary of the original booklet created in 1976 by faculty member Ed Flaccus and student Robin Brickman as part of her advanced work. The new edition we will work on is an ongoing collaborative project, building on work completed by students in previous semesters, and will accompany the newly established Bennington College Arboretum.

In this advanced course, students will work independently to develop sections of the field guide and work collaboratively with classmates on its overall design and layout. In and out of class, students will study trees and shrubs on the Bennington College campus, learning to identify them, documenting them through detailed botanical illustrations, and writing short descriptions to accompany the drawings. These illustrations and descriptions will then be brought together to create the new guide/booklet. 

Students will have the opportunity to shape their work for this class based on their interests and unique skill sets, for instance, those with the relevant skills and interests may contribute to the project by creating maps or developing a digital version of the booklet. Students will also collaborate with Buildings and Grounds to install Arboretum labels on campus.