Resources and Methods for The Art of Conservation Lauren Anderson, Senior Research Project |
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Research Methods: I researched this project in a very unconventional way because my topic fell in a grey area between the disciplines of environmental studies and art and it was exceedingly difficult to find much on the impact of art on conservation. Originally, I began with Jim Brandenburg's books and moved outward into the ripples of influence surrounding his artwork. I borrowed the documentary on Chased by the Light and the National Geographic articles in which Brandenburg's photography of the Boundary Waters appeared. From there, I looked at links at the bottom of online articles, made countless academic searches to find the few (literally about three) scholarly papers out there that encompass nature photography and conservation. One resource provided the stepping stone to the next and I made my way clumsily through the project. I looked around at photography magazines, newspaper articles, and gathered the recommendations of everyone around me. By the beginning of the afternoon on May 15, 2006 (four days before this portfolio), I had assembled enough quotes, passages, and photographs to sit down and write what I had learned.
Special thanks are due to: Kathy Shea, our seminar professor, who let me run wild with this project (often sending several email questions a day) and helped me refine my ideas. Mick Hamilton, my host teacher at Northfield Middle school, who gave me invaluable materials and encouragement. Matt Rohn, who gave me the push and help I needed after hitting roadblocks and wondering if this would ever work. |
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Resources and Methods |
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Literature Review: Shepard, J. (Producer/Writer), & Robert Foucault (Director). (2003). Chased by the Light: A Photographic Journey with Jim Brandenburg [Motion Picture]. United States: Aurora Pictures This resource was invaluable to my project. The interviews within in of Jim and Judy Brandenbug, National Geographic editors, non-profit leaders were extremely helpful. The depth of information included in this documentary allowed me to glimpse the story and process behind the photographs in Chased by the Light. In addition, there was also a narrated slide show of Looking for the Summer that proved useful. I highly recommend viewing this documentary if you have even a minor interest in Brandenburg's art. Bright, D. (1992). The Machine in the Garden Revisited: American Environmentalism and Photographic Aesthetics, 51(2), 60-71. Retrieved May 14, 2006, from JSTOR database. This paper by Deborah Bright came at just the right time in my research. It gives an informative and detailed general overview of the impact of American nature photography through 1990. The insights offered by Bright's paper helped to place a lot of the artistic ideas I was not familiar with into a historical context within the United States. While the paper focuses more on photography of the West with little mention of Minnesota-inspired images, it was nonetheless an important resource for me in this project. Solnit, R. (2001). Every Corner is Alive: Eliot Porter as an Environmentalist and as Artist. In Eliot Porter: The Color of Wildness (pp. 113-131). New York: Aperture Foundation. This resource was an essay within the larger book Eliot Porter: The Color of Wildness. At first I did not think that an essay written specifically about Porter's work would be useful to me in a study of Jim Brandenburg's photography but I soon discovered that Solnit's writing was insightful and meticulously researched. The notes and citations at the end of the essay were almost as valuable as the text because they offered so many places to look for additional resources. The writing was dense but incredibly helpful to my project.
Literature Cited: Adams, R. (1981). Truth and Landscape. In R. Adams, Beauty in Photography: Essays in Defense of Traditional Values (pp. 13-20). New York: Aperture. Adams, R. (1994). In the Twentieth-Century West. In R. Adams, Why People Photograph: Selected Essays and Reviews (pp. 155-178). New Work: Aperture. Balog, J. (2004). The Future of Nature: American Photography, 15(3), 86-89. Brandenburg, J. (1997). North Woods Journal.National Geographic, 192(5), 94-111. Brandenburg, J. (1998). Chased by the Light. Minnetonka, MN: NorthWord Press. Brandenburg, J. (2003). American Landscapes: Boundary Waters. National Geographic,203(6) 32-51. Brandenburg, J. (2003). Looking for the Summer. Chanhassen, MN: NorthWord Press. Bright, D. (1992). The Machine in the Garden Revisited: American Environmentalism and Photographic Aesthetics, 51(2), 60-71. Retrieved May 14, 2006, from JSTOR database. Brunswick, M. (2006, April 20). Outdoor-amendment bills near showdown. The Star Tribune. Retrieved April 26, 2006, from http://www.startribune.com Brunswick, M. (2006, April 25). House Oks bill to let voters decide outdoor funds. The Star Tribune. Retrieved April 26, 2006, from http://www.startribune.com Buchta, J. (2006, April 22). Conservationists rally for amendment. The Star Tribune. Retrieved April 26, 2006, from http://www.startribune.com Cole, T. (1835). Essay on American Scenery. Retrieved May 17, 2006, from http://www.vanderbilt.edu/rpw_center/ls00c.htm Dawson, J. (1990). The Art of Science. The Minnesota Volunteer, 53(313), 44-49. Forester, J. (2004). The Forest for the Trees: How Humans Shaped the North Woods. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press. Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. (2003, Summer). Friends’ Benefactor to Release New Book. Retrieved April 24, 2006, from http://www.friends-bwca.org/pdfs/ Leopold, A. (1953). Wilderness. In A Sand County Almanac with Essays on Conservation from Round River (pp. 264-279). New York: Ballantine Books. Muir, John (1894). In the Sierra Foot-Hills. Retrieved May 16, 2006, from http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Muir Porter, E. (N.D.). Notes on Conservation. In Eliot Porter: The Color of Wildness (p. 119). New York: Aperture Foundation. Pugmire, T. (2006, April 3). Senate approves dedicated state money for outdoors, arts. Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved April 26, 2006, from http://www.mpr.org Pugmire, T. (2006, April 25). House approved referendum for outdoor resources. Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved April 26, 2006, from http://www.mpr.org Shepard, J. (Producer/Writer), & Robert Foucault (Director). (2003). Chased by the Light: A Photographic Journey with Jim Brandenburg [Motion Picture]. United States: Aurora Pictures Solnit, R. (2001). Every Corner is Alive: Eliot Porter as an Environmentalist and as Artist. In Eliot Porter: The Color of Wildness (pp. 113-131). New York: Aperture Foundation. The Photography of Jim Brandenburg. (2004). http://www.jimbrandenburg.com The Trust for Public Land. (2003, September). Jim Brandenburg and TPL: The Art of Conservation. Retrieved April 24, 2006, from http://www.tpl.org |