Helen O’Leary, professor of art and a consultant for the Studio for Sustainability and Social Action, planted a “dye garden” in her backyard during the COVID-19 pandemic. She and co-instructor Kim Gates Flick have incorporated the garden in their teaching of the Sustainable Studio special topics art course.
Image: Helen O’Leary
The Penn State Studio for Sustainability and Social Action invites proposals for its inaugural symposium and exhibition, to take place virtually April 22-24, 2021. Organized around five themes – care, water, food, shelter, cost – the symposium will create convergences and collaborations that intersect with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The symposium organizers are seeking participation from educators, researchers and students in various fields, primarily those associated with the arts, such as digital, literary, visual and performing arts, art history and art education. They also encourage participation from teachers and scholars in architecture, design and engineering and from community organizers investigating sustainability, food insecurity and health and well-being. Accepted content and corresponding presentations will be published in symposium proceedings and digital archives.
The virtual format provides opportunities for different types of presentations, including virtual workshops, performances, artist lectures and other modalities of experiential learning and remote participation. Proposals should honor the five themes of the symposium while enhancing audience participation and engagement through creative forms, experimental approaches, scholarly research and artistic production.
Submission deadline is Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. For details, including how to submit a proposal, visit the Studio for Sustainability and Social Action website.
