Stephanie Hanson, a Garland ISD, Sachse High School graduate and current senior at the Honors College at Stetson University in Florida, has developed a creative project in conjunction with the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest. The collaboration encourages the community to get involved in nature through art.
“It is a community-based project that is place-based, which means it’s about creating something from a specific place and in this case, it’s the preserve,” she said. “It’s a passion project. I wanted to do something that would merge art and the environment.”
Hanson’s project, called Collections from the Field, encourages the community to generate art that is inspired by or created at the preserve. Various types of art will be included – photography, painting, creative writing, nature journaling and land art, which is using pieces of the landscape such as rocks, sticks, fallen leaves to create a design.
“I hope to get a variety of art, but I think photography and creative writing will be really popular,” she said. “I’ll collect the submissions into a virtual gallery space so the community can see what everyone is doing and hopefully become inspired by the work of others. People will submit photos of their art to social media and tag us with #collectionsfromthefield.”
There will also be a website that serves as an anchor for the project and a larger gallery space where curated submissions will go.
Hanson started on the science side of environmental studies at Stetson but said that she has become more interested in how to use art to bridge the gap between knowledge of environmental problems and the public.
“I feel like this is kind of a first step toward doing that just by allowing people to create art that helps them connect to the landscape and find a deeper respect for the land,” she said. “Art is a meditative practice and can help people find that stillness and connection to nature.”
After graduation, Hanson wants to concentrate on the environment.
“I want to help raise awareness for environmental issues using art, especially participatory art,” she said. “Helping the public engage in that creative practice as a way of creating conversations about the environment and about nature, that’s my goal once I leave school.”
Hanson also wants to raise awareness of how we move around in the landscape – our footprint as well as our interaction with the land. She also wants to spotlight the mental and physical benefits of nature.
This project has come together with the help of Dr. Tiffany Lipsett, a leader in education and the sciences with particular interests in the overlap of nature and art, the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest, and the city of Garland.
“Stephanie at the heart and helm of this project brings such authenticity, as she has grown up surrounded by the seasons of the preserve. She understands and visualizes the beauty of art within nature specific to this area. She also has a vested interest in protecting this hidden gem, and what better way to do that than by the beauty and visual experience of one’s own creativity,” Lipsett said.
About: Stephanie Hanson is a recipient of the 2020 Udall Scholarship for work in environmental studies. As president of the Stetson Environmental Club, she initiated a series of on-campus events to foster connections between undergraduate students and the environment. Collections from the Field is funded in part by a stipend from the Stetson Honors College.
Follow all CDC recommendations and guidelines, as well as city of Garland regulations regarding city parks and protected lands.
Follow @CollectionsFromTheField on social media to see featured submissions and to stay up to date with project developments!