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Westbrook Artists’ Site (WAS)
The Westbrook Artists’ Site (WAS) explores the continuity between rural and urban contexts. If the rural is typically viewed as what was left behind in the process of urbanization, WAS insists, to the contrary, that rural life and landscape need to be seen as vital parts of a system that is urban and rural. WAS cultivates art and design as purposeful interventions within such an interconnected system. The WAS project mission challenges participants to find and explore the connective tissue binding rural and urban worlds and to create modes of address that speak from a rural landscape to both rural and urban audiences.
Design/Rebuild is on-going at WAS. 09/19.
Elizabeth Walden - I hear this once was prairie (2015)
The poem by Elizabeth Walden was included in a presentation of the work at the Westbrook Artists’ Site (WAS), Field Day – Rehabilitation Tools for the Post-Industrial Rural Environment. This work is an interdisciplinary inquiry to foster creative potential in the post-industrial rural environment. The potential can be realized by challenging the entrenched, dominating paradigms that have shaped the settlement of the land, the rise of industrial agriculture, and rural culture. Incorporating the frame of the post-industrial is central to the mission of the Westbrook Artists’ Site (WAS) in Madison County, Iowa. We overlook the richness of ecological history in our current practices
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The poem by Elizabeth Walden was included in a presentation of the work at the Westbrook Artists’ Site (WAS), Field Day – Rehabilitation Tools for the Post-Industrial Rural Environment. This work is an interdisciplinary inquiry to foster creative potential in the post-industrial rural environment. The potential can be realized by challenging the entrenched, dominating paradigms that have shaped the settlement of the land, the rise of industrial agriculture, and rural culture. Incorporating the frame of the post-industrial is central to the mission of the Westbrook Artists’ Site (WAS) in Madison County, Iowa. We overlook the richness of ecological history in our current practices
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Stock tank shower for RAGBRAI and Team Red Merkins.
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Prescribed burns at WAS are a relatively new enterprise that is gaining momentum. We are excited for the new ideas and collaborative space that the burns have been generating and the future for building more diversity ecologically, socially and expressively in 2019.
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Winter walks along the river 01/19 part of the WAS site. We are busy working towards spring including a planned prescribed burn. The burn will be open to the public for observation/participation. Please contact us for more information if you are interested in joining us.
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Foraging Notes
Foraging Notes
Our spring foraging excursions will be highlighted by group excursion on April 15th. Please visit our Foraging Notes pages for more information.
Prairie Burn
The burn will be open to the public for observation. Please contact us for more information if you are interested in joining us.
Bútugaiŋe - Quercus macrocarpa
Updated - The TPOS Midwest Fire Conference page is active. The image above is from a 3d digital rendering of one of the Bur oak trees at WAS. Workshop by Jack Phillips at the Fire Conference illuminated relationship of each Oak tree to a particular location. Your Bur Oak is not my Bur Oak. The taxonomy that reflects the specific rhizosphere and genetic diversity of our Bur Oak is better reflected by the local names provided by the Ioway people, Bútugaiŋe; Násewe.
Westbrook Artists' Site - Prairie Swatch S16B GooseBerry JL
Colors of the Prairie
Inspired by conversation at the Rural Art convening with Chicken Tractor it was time for new Prairie Swatch. This is the second posting of our prairie swatches composed of colors sampled from local flora. Prairie Swatch S16B Gooseberry JL (Gooseberry in eight shades per July). We will begin posting more swatches on our site page.