Heroes of Horticulture

Bifoss

George Eastman House is collaborating with The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) in Washington, DC to create an exhibition titled Heroes of Horticulture. On view at Eastman House from December 1, 2007 to March 2, 2008, the exhibition is part of TCLF’s Landslide 2007, Heroes of Horticulture project. Landslide, a program first undertaken in 2003, identifies and highlights historic landscapes at risk and chronicles their preservation efforts through the media.

Heroes focuses on culturally significant landscapes at risk of alteration or destruction, and includes trees and other plantings that have witnessed or withstood major cultural or natural events. The project aims to encourage community involvement in safeguarding these sites for future generations. The sites included in the project were revealed in early October 2007.

Charles Birnbaum, founder and president of the TCLF, selected Eastman House to work on Heroes because of the Museum’s expertise in contemporary photography, and its interest in linking photography and cultural landscapes. For the project, Curator of Photographs Alison Nordström and Director of Exhibitions Rick Hock enlisted the help of photographers, including Arizona State University educator Mark Klett; University of Buffalo Adjunct Professor John Pfahl; Magnum Photographer and Harvard University Nieman Fellow Eli Reed; New Orleans collaborative artists Louviere+Vanessa; and author and University of California Professor John Divola. These recognized American artists bring a diversity of styles and creative approaches to the project.

After display at George Eastman House, Heroes of Horticulture will become part of the Museum’s traveling exhibitions program. The project sites will also be featured in an upcoming issue of Garden Design magazine, on the Landslide website (http://www.tclf.org/landslide">www.tclf.org/landslide),), and in TCLF multimedia presentations nationwide.