OPA Live! Ecoart in Action

Host Ann Rosenthal takes over the OPA Instagram account for a live conversation with Amara Geffen.

Ecoart in Action

During this session, artist Ann Rosenthal and Emerita Professor of Art at Allegheny College Amara Geffen will discuss what ecoart is and Amara’s community and environmentally focused public art projects in Meadville, PA. They will also discuss their forthcoming book “Ecoart in Action: Activities, Case Studies, and Provocations for Classrooms and Communities”. This book is a compilation of essays by over 60 ecoartist members of the Ecoart Network, which is celebrating its 20th year.

About Ann Rosenthal

Ann Rosenthal is an artist, educator, and writer. She addresses the intersections of nature and culture through climate change, biodiversity, and biophilia. In 2018, Ann was artist in residence at HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon. In 2019, she co-curated “Crafting Conversations: A Call and Response to Our Changing Climate” for Contemporary Craft’s BNY Mellon Gallery. In 2020, she received the “Woman of Environmental Art” Award from PennFuture. Ann is one of four editors for Ecoart in Action: Activities, Case Studies, and Provocations for Classrooms and Communities (New Village Press, 2022). Ann received her MFA from Carnegie Mellon University in 1999.

About Amara Geffen

Amara Geffen is an Emerita Professor of Art at Allegheny College and the founder and director of the Art & Environment Initiative in Meadville, Pennsylvania. She has received numerous awards for her collaborations with local community and state and local government agencies in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Her projects have engaged countless local residents and regional, national, and international artists, as well as scientists, environmental engineers, landscape architects, and hydrologists. She is one of four co-editors for Ecoart in Action: Activities, Case Studies, and Provocations for Classrooms and Communities, published by New Village Press for release in January 2022.