- Nov. 1 - Dec. 1, 2022, 9:30 am US/Central
Dates to be later determined
Earth and Sky: Celebrating the Local Landscape
Paintings by Joel Sheesley
Fermilab’s Environmental Management System features the important concept of “Ecosystem Services.” These are aspects of the environment that offer value to human beings, free of charge. Ecosystem Services include the supporting, provisioning, regulating, and cultural benefits of the natural environment. Among cultural benefits, esthetic value plays an important role in shaping and influencing human interaction with nature.
Landscape painting is one of the longstanding ways through which esthetic value in landscape is apprehended. Recognition of esthetic value introduces a personal dimension to an encounter with the charisma of the landscape. It broadens the reach of scientific understanding of the natural world to include the response of the human spirit.
I used Fermilab Ecology Maps as guides to discover the habitat communities represented in different Fermilab campus landscapes. I chose on-site plein air painting as the means to depict these landscapes, bringing esthetic values into dialog with, for example, floristic values. Participation in this esthetic/scientific dialog brings energy and commitment to Fermilab’s objective to be an effective environmental steward.
