Midwest Women Artists and Environmental Activism

October 23, 2019

The Bradley University Department of Art and Design and the Illinois Women Artist Project are pleased to announce that the 2019 Midwest Women Artists Symposium will be held at Bradley University on November 7 and 8.

The Department is also hosting three exhibitions related to the Symposium. Featuring panel discussions, presentations, lectures, and exhibitions, this symposium seeks to further the understanding of the intersection of art and science through the work of women artists in the Midwest who combine their artistic practice with environmental activism.

There will be two-panel discussions. “Art and Place” will explore how the unique ecologies, geographies and cultivated landscapes of the Midwest have informed the practice of women environmental artists (past and present) who live and work there. “Art Embracing Science” will explore the scientific issues that environmental artists addressed in their work and how eco artists embrace scientific methods and/or work directly with scientists, urban planners and other professionals to find solutions to environmental problems today.

The symposium speakers will have their work on display in three exhibitions. "Women Making Art Because the World Matters" in Heuser Gallery and "Change Agents: Midwest Women Eco Artists" in Hartmann Gallery will be on view from October 16 to December 20. "Terraria Gigantica: The World Under Glass" with work by Dana Fritz will be on view in the Red Door Gallery in Heuser Art Center from November 1 to December 6. A reception for all three of these exhibitions is scheduled for November 7 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

The Symposium is organized by the Department of Art and Design and Illinois Women Artists Project, with support from the Women’s and Gender Studies Department. For more information, click here or contact Kristan McKinsey at kmckinsey@fsmail.bradley.edu or (309) 677-2860.