|
Welcome to BarbaraGeiger.net, In this virtual age, how wonderful it is to be grounded in our physical environment. Landscape historian and educator Barbara Geiger’s philosophy is that each individual needs to know about the landscape we inhabit if we are to create true sustainability. Each course, tour, and lecture focuses on a particular theme, filled with anecdotes and humor, and thought-provoking intellectual excursions to allow students and participants to learn in an easy, natural way. Barbara Geiger is Adjunct Professor in the College of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and also teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Botanic Garden. For spring and summer 2010, look for courses and lectures with two exciting themes: the environment as founding fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson saw it and designed it; and the Prairie School—landscape and architecture.
:: Tours :: University Courses :: Adult Education :: Lectures ::
ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO [artic.edu] Chicago’s Prairie Style Landscapes (2 tours); Wednesday, May 19 & Tuesday, May 25; 9 am to 4 pm Chicago is home to a unique park system, with an unparalleled collection of Prairie style works by Jens Jensen, Alfred Caldwell, and an early precursor by the Olmsted Brothers. Join landscape historian Barbara Geiger for a day of Prairie style in the city. Begin by driving through Sherman Park to see an Olmsted/Burnham collaboration, then up to the West Parks to see Jensen’s work at Garfield Park and take a walking tour of his Columbus Park. After a relaxing and delightful lunch at Francesca’s in Forest Park, enjoy another incredible Prairie-style gem at Caldwell’s Riis Park. Finish the day with a private gallery showing of evocative landscape paintings. Please dress for the weather, as most of this tour is outdoors. About a mile of slow walking for the entire tour.
ENCORE!! Three more Inside The Devil in the White City tours Thursday, April 29; Friday, May 21; & Wednesday, May 26; 9 am to 3:30 pm Walk in the footsteps of the heroes and villain of The Devil in the White City, Erik Larsen’s best-selling story of good and evil at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, with popular tour leader Barbara Geiger, a faculty member at the Illinois Institute of Technology and the School of the Art Institute. On a daylong tour, drive past the Englewood site of H.H. Holmes’s notorious “murder castle” hotel, travel the route he would have taken from there to the fair, and learn about the fate of his wife and daughter. After lunch at Hyde Park’s Cedar’s Mediterranean Restaurant, explore the fair stories of Daniel H. Burnham and Frederick Law Olmsted as you walk the exposition grounds—present-day Jackson Park—viewing Olmsted’s lagoons and Wooded Island; the renovated Japanese Garden; the Charles Atwood-designed Fine Arts Building (now the Museum of Science and Industry); and other remarkable points of interest. Conclude by stopping at sites along the Midway Plaisance to further get a sense of the fair’s context and scope. Please dress for the weather, as most of this tour is outdoors. About two miles of slow walking for the entire tour.
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CONTINUUM TOUR [luc.edu] The Prairie Style: Landscape and Architecture Saturday, May 22; 9 am to 1 pm On this Prairie style sampler, we’ll walk through Alfred Caldwell’s Riis Park and Jens Jensen’s Columbus Parks, two beautiful landscape examples. To see the matching architecture, we’ll drive past a dozen residences in Riverside, River Forest, and Oak Park, designed by Wright, Griffin, Van Bergen, and others. A lot of Prairie style in a four hours!
ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY College of Architecture [iit.edu/arch] LA 502 Landscape Architecture History A survey of the history of landscape architecture, this course explores the development of human interaction and design on the land from prehistoric cosmological forms through the beginnings of the profession of landscape architecture with Frederick Law Olmsted, highlighting the major design shifts throughout history. The course emphasizes both analytical and holistic approaches to the study of historic designs, and provides opportunities to connect the readings to physical sites through field trips.
LA497 The Vernacular Landscape The everyday built environment comprises much more of the world than do designed structures and spaces, and there is often dialogue between the two. In this course we explore a variety of landscape types than can be called “vernacular.” For the readings, we examine classic texts on vernacular landscape from the geographers who defined the term, including J.B. Jackson, D.W. Meinig, and Yi-Fu Tuan, as well as contemporary writers. The first typology we study is outsider art environments, which provide perspective on the ways non-trained designers approach a site. Rural settings, main streets, ethnic environments, and they way materials are used are some of the topics we cover during the semester. Marcel Proust’s observation that “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes” will be our guide as we investigate these “ordinary landscapes.”
SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO [artic.edu] ArtHi4886 The Prairie School and Landscape No region other than the Midwestern United States has had an indigenous style of landscape and architectural design as significant as the Prairie School. Although a relatively short-lived phenomenon, ca. 1900-1915, it has had an enduring impact. Beginning with the style’s roots in the English naturalistic landscapes of the 18th century, this course provides an overview of the major players in the Prairie movement, including Jens Jensen, O. C. Simonds, Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Burley Griffin, and Wilhelm Miller, the man credited with coining the term “Prairie School”. We also study IIT’s Alfred Caldwell, who continued the tradition for several decades. We explore how the Prairie style in landscape segued into ecology and how it has influenced design in recent years.
: Professional and Adult Education :
CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN [chicagobotanic.org] Early Garden History January 31 through April 11 Selecting plants and preparing the soil are just part of what goes into creating a garden. Learn how people, politics, and culture have affected the concept, design and function of gardens. Study the unique features of Eastern and Western gardening traditions from ancient cultures through the 19th century. Deepen your understanding of gardens, enrich your design capabilities, and learn useful vocabulary. This course includes independent, local field trips and a short historic style project.
Modern Garden History April 25 through July 11 This course is a continuation of Early Garden History, and focuses on gardening and garden design from the early 1900s to the present. We will study 20th century developments, contemporary trends that are important to today's designers, and look at how environmental art and ecology impact our work. We’ll explore how post-modern design incorporates the elements and ideas of the gardens we studied in Early Garden History, and further our understanding of how to analyze a designed site.
CBG short courses: The Prairie School: Architecture and Landscape 6 sessions beginning March 3 No region other than the Midwestern United States has had an indigenous style of landscape and architectural design as significant as the Prairie School. Although a relatively short-lived phenomenon, ca. 1900-1915, it has had an enduring impact. This course provides an overview of the major figures of the Prairie movement, including Jens Jensen, O. C. Simonds, Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Burley Griffin, and Wilhelm Miller, the man credited with coining the term “Prairie School”. The style segued into ecology and has influenced design in recent years.
The Founding Fathers and the American Environment 3 sessions beginning May 13 Washington and Jefferson were both closely involved with the land of the new United States of America. We begin by investigating the American continent as European settlers found it and then focus on George Washington’s concern with land ownership and his ferme ornee approach to his estate at Mt. Vernon. Then a look at how Thomas Jefferson’s Enlightenment philosophy informed his creation of a complete environment at Monticello and his pioneer landscape preservation. Forward-looking and closely in tune with their surroundings, these two great American presidents left us thoughtful and inspiring legacies in their estates and their landscape writings.
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CONTINUUM [luc.edu/continuum] The Prairie Style: Architecture and Landscape 6 sessions, March 20 to May 1 No region other than the Midwestern United States has had an indigenous style of landscape and architectural design as significant as the Prairie School. Although a relatively short-lived phenomenon, ca. 1900-1915, it has had an enduring impact. This course provides an overview of the major figures of the Prairie movement, including Jens Jensen, O. C. Simonds, Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Burley Griffin, and Wilhelm Miller, the man credited with coining the term “Prairie School”. The style segued into ecology and has influenced design in recent years.
NEWBERRY LIBRARY [newberry.org] Enlightenment Environments: Washington’s and Jefferson’s Approaches to Nature 4 sessions, beginning February 25 At the cusp of the Age of Enlightenment and the Romantic Era, two of America’s founding fathers created their own environments at their plantations. This course is an enquiry into the philosophies and values of Washington and Jefferson that guided their interactions with nature and design. A study of Jefferson’s renaissance approach to life, and how this played out in his architecture and gardens, will be our primary focus.
HARPER COLLEGE LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE [harpercollege.edu] The Founding Fathers and the Environment April 14 George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had definite opinions about farming, gardening, and city planning. This was expressed in their approaches to their own estates and in the design of the capital city. Enlightenment philosophies from Europe and the belief systems of Deism and the Masons influenced this early American interaction with nature. Join landscape historian Barbara Geiger and explore what the first and third presidents thought about our environment, and how some later chief executives handled our natural resources.
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, Leadership Series, Chicago Careers in Business Daniel Burnham: City and Business Planner April 21
CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GARFIELD PARK CONSERVATORY, AND OPENLANDS Jens Jensen: Prairie on Chicago’s West Side April 24
GLENVIEW PUBLIC LIBRARY [glenviewpl.org] Generating Change: Windmills in the Midwest May 4
BRUCEMORE, INC., IOWA’S ONLY NATIONAL TRUST HISTORIC PROPERTY O.C. Simonds: Landscapes You Can Live With July 17
: University Courses :
ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY College of Architecture [iit.edu/arch] Arch445 The Prairie School and Landscape LA516 Historic Landscape Preservation Dates to be announced
SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO [artic.edu] ArtHi3886 Landscape, Design, and Art Dates to be announced
And lots of intriguing lectures, exciting tours, and professional and adult education courses will be offered!
|
||
|
|||
