From the PSB Special Issue on Art in the Botanical Sciences
The Integration of Botanical Science, Art, and Agency
University of Minnesota (UMN). In this article, we describe this project and related endeavors. We hope that these examples can help readers see their place in both local and global ecosystems and build communities through the integration of the arts and botanical sciences.
Maria Park Jessie Merriam2 Abbie Anderson3 Chotsani Elaine Dean⁴ Rebecca Montgomery⁵ Christine Baeumler⁶ 1,7
Backyard Phenology
University of Minnesota (UMN) PhD candidate in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; artist 2 UMN Masters in Heritage Studies and Public History; artist 3 UMN Researcher, Department of Forest Resources 4 UMN Assistant Professor of Ceramics, Department of Art 5 UMN Professor of Forest Ecology, Department of Forest Resources 6 UMN Professor of Interdisciplinary Art & Social Practice, Art Department Chair 7 Author for correspondence: mariap@umn.edu 1
The combination of art and the botanical sciences can address global and local issues in ways that resonate with communities. Marginalized societies, plant species, and whole ecosystems are suffering the consequences of a rapidly changing climate (IPCC, 2023). These challenges require multidisciplinary approaches, which extend beyond the field of botanical science. We, the authors, propose that socially engaged art practices rooted in a history of activism combined with a deep western scientific understanding of plant communities can help address the issues of climate change. We are a group of creative researchers from various disciplines, all part of the Backyard Phenology Project (BYP) at the
The BYP is an ongoing art and community science platform that engages people to become more attuned to the seasonal cycles of nature (phenology) and foster dialogue about the influence of climate change on nature (Backyard Phenology, 2023). The project launched in 2016, with support from the Northern Lights arts organization and a UMN Grand Challenges grant. The project was founded by Professor Rebecca Montgomery, a forest ecologist, and Professor Christine Baeumler, a socially engaged artist. Other founding collaborators include Professor Mae Davenport, Beth Mercer-Taylor, and Kate Flick. The BYP team, assisted by various researchers and volunteers, listen to and record stories of people around Minnesota in a mobile recording studio called the Climate Chaser. Participants are invited to share stories of plants, the environment, and our changing climate with the BYP team, and then continue to document their natural observations on a printed phenology calendar. A BYP podcast featuring the recorded stories is available on the BYP website https:// phenology.umn.edu. The Climate Chaser is a retrofitted vintage chrome camper that has been brought to numerous events and sites, including
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