Farmscapes

Provides an important snapshot of the issues presented at the Greenhouse 2009 conference.

The mutual history of art, agriculture, and American identity as told through the theme of the harvest. The harvest has traditionally been a productive season, both on American farms and in its artists’ studios. Before the early nineteenth century, the ideal of the Jeffersonian yeoman, singly cultivating a subsistence plot for family use, dominated the American imagination; after World War II, the advent of big agribusiness proved less immediately attractive for artists. In We Gather Together, Charles C. Eldredge examines the period in between—when many Americans were farmers and much of America was farmland. Organized in a series of case studies each devoted to a single crop, We Gather Together initially focuses on familiar commodity crops such as corn, wheat, and potatoes, and then expands to other yields by Native American harvesters and California floriculturists, as well as winter ice cutters and coastal seaweed gatherers. This novel history of agriculture and art traces parallel developments on land and canvas, highlighting breakthroughs in each field. Artists such as Winslow Homer, Doris Lee, and Georgia O’Keeffe are joined by innovators in agriculture, whether mechanical inventors such as Eli Whitney, John Deere, and Cyrus McCormick or genetic hybridizers such as Luther Burbank, W. Atlee Burpee, and Theodosia Shepherd. Surveying an astonishing amount of material and a wide range of paintings, prints, and other artworks from the nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century, We Gather Together gorgeously demonstrates how the use of agricultural metaphors permeated American visual culture. The harvest, we see here, came to signify and dominate politics, poetry, and popular culture, ultimately representing a primary facet of American identity and nationhood.

First published in 1975. Divided into three parts, the book reconstructs the landscape prior to European settlement, contrasts the original conditions with the country today, and summarizes changes over the past 200 years by analyzing attitudes and ideas about the country's resources. For the undergraduate-level geography student. Bandw photographs. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Scotland's greatest gift to the world has been itself, its culture, its creativity, the extraordinary ability of its people to integrate and celebrate what truly matters in global terms, friendship and decency. Add in our greatest export, Scotch whisky; our iconic clan and family tartans; our golf courses and musical traditions, and you have an identity that is instantly recognisable and internationally respected and loved. Wear a kilt in Manhattan or Paris and you make friends for life. Art, culture and history circulate the lives of Richard Demarco and Roddy Martine. This compelling sequel to Demarco's Edinburgh battles for the soul of Scotland, tracing its roots from ancient pilgrimage routes to modern-day artistic endeavours. Richard Demarco's personal odyssey, from his encounter with Terry Newman and Southampton College of Art to his profound connections with the Polish art world, forms the cornerstone of this narrative. As he reflects on the essence of the Edinburgh Festival, he unveils a vision where Scotland's cultural legacy transcends geographical boundaries, embracing the world. Martine's meticulously crafted essays encapsulate Scotland's artistic landscape. through insightful reflections on Demarco's journey, you are invited to ponder profound questions about identity, heritage and the transformative power of art. A testament to the enduring spirit of creativity and the timeless quest for meaning that defines Scotland's cultural heritage, this book serves as a poignant reminder of the country's evolution into a global beacon of culture and enlightenment.

"This book focuses on three multi-faceted aspects of rural sustainability: farms and farming, the remaking of rural communities and rural spaces, and policy and action in rural development. The research is focused on three global regions: North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and Australia."--back cover.

Over the Rainbow shows how Dorothy's passage from Kansas to Oz and back again recapitulates paradigmatic stories of both America and Christianity. Defining human identity on three symbolic levels (individual, collective, and cosmic), Nathanson shows that The Wizard of Oz has come to be a "secular myth."

Often viewed as nostalgic and inauthentic, the work of early preservationists has frequently been underrated by modern practitioners. Rather than considering early preservation within its historical context, many modern preservationists judge their predecessors' work by contemporary standards, ultimately negating their legacy. In Design with Culture: Claiming America's Landscape Heritage, Charles A. Birnbaum and Mary V. Hughes present an introduction along with eight essays by well-known landscape historians that effectively argue against this diminution. By revisiting planning studies, executed works, and critical writings from the years 1890-1950, these authors uncover the holistic stewardship ethic that drove pioneering landscape preservation advocates, revealing their goal to be the imaginative transformation, as much as the conservation, of material culture. The essays, which range from accounts of the professional contribution made by such figures as Charles Sprague Sargent and Frederick Law Olmsted to consideration of the roles played by women's clubs and New Deal government programs, portray the spirit and tenacity of the early preservationists. In their focus on the transformation of entities such as Mount Vernon and the White House, as well as the rural countryside along the Blue Ridge Parkway, early preservationists anticipated several key issues--such as tourism, ecological concerns, and vehicle access--that confront practitioners today. Birnbaum and Hughes illustrate not only the similarity of experience between early and modern landscape preservationists but also the immense impact that their decisions had and still have on our daily lives. For landscape architects, architects, planners, amateur and professional gardeners, conservationists, preservationists, and anyone with an interest in history, travel, and national parks, Design with Culture will prove an indispensable resource for understanding the history of landscape preservation. Contributors: Charles A. Birnbaum, Mary V. Hughes, Catherine Howett, Phyllis Andersen, Thomas E. Beaman Jr., Elizabeth Hope Cushing, David C. Streatfield, Cynthia Zaitzevsky, Ethan Carr, and Ian Firth