Teaching Systems Thinking and Practice through Environmental Art

In a recent article bemoaning the declining state of education, psychology professor Judith Schlesinger laments, "I've had a front seat for the slide in student skills and motivation and—worst of all—curiosity. For too many, grades are more important than learning" (Schlesinger(2002). Confronted with worldwide social and environmental crises that appear insurmountable, many students have succumbed to instant gratification, whether that is bargaining for grades or the American dream. Many do not recognize how issues and disciplines are related, nor how an understanding of history, art, or ecology might be relevant to their lives. In this context, teaching environmental art provides a venue for integrating the disciplines and promoting systems thinking. It can translate insights from the humanities and the sciences into functional and elegant responses to our environment. This paper discusses my pedagogical approach to teaching environmental art at the college level and its potential for fostering systems thinking and practice.

Visualizing Systems Thinking

Defining "systems thinking" in ecology and education, physicist Fritjof Capra states, "To understand the lessons of ecosystems and apply them to our human communities, we need to learn the principles of ecology, the 'language of nature' . . . The principles of ecology are, if you wish, the patterns of life" (Capra 1994, 1). Capra contends that the patterns of life are networks that are regulated by feedback loops. Feedback allows a system to engage certain functions, to learn from mistakes, and thus to sustain itself. If we can use this model to understand and visualize the patterns that have undermined our human and non-human networks, perhaps we can repair and build systems to be more resilient and sustainable. As examples of systems thinking, we might describe visual art as the study and creation of relationships, patterns, and possibilities, including the formal relationships of line, form, and color; exchanges between people and within societies; and the interdependencies of human and non-human nature. Contemporary environmental artists are investigating new forms and contexts for visualizing, mapping, and modeling "the language of nature." Artist Ruth Wallen defines the growing field of eco-art:

Today's environmental artists focus on the interrelationships between physical and biological pathways and the cultural, political or historical aspects of ecosystems and work to extend environmental principles and practices directly into the community. Ecological art can challenge perceptions, elucidate the complex structure of an ecosystem, examine a particular issue, i.e., a type of ecological relationship, or work directly to physically restore the biophysical environment. (Wallen 2000) ¹

By its very nature, eco-art is multidisciplinary and pedagogical. Eco-artists draw from diverse disciplines, including art, ecology, landscape architecture, urban planning, and history, to restore damaged ecosystems, interpret environmental and cultural histories, and reveal systems problems and solutions (such as the water systems within a city or bioregion). The intent of such projects is to foster sensitivity to our place within human and non-human nature, and to encourage more informed pubic discourse and action. Given these concerns, it is not surprising that teaching is integral to the practices of many eco-artists. Eco-art offers a vehicle to cultivate systems thinking, interdisciplinary problem solving, collaboration, and social and environmental responsibility. Thus, eco-art pedagogy is useful not only for art students, but for all students who will enter a world that demands creative and far-reaching responses to the damage we have wrought upon human and non-human systems. The toxic landscapes within and around us know no disciplinary boundaries. Promoting their health requires collaboration across diverse fields to rectify destructive practices and design alternative materials and processes. Given these challenges, environmental educators and artists have a potent opportunity to encourage students "to think clearly, to imagine what could be and is not, and to act faithfully" (Orr 1996, 9).

I have had the opportunity to teach eco-art theory and practice in diverse institutions, from small private colleges to state universities, within Fine Arts...