Dirt by Global Soil Partnership: Provides information on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the efforts in place to raise the profile of soil across the world.
Soil Health Awareness: Sponsored by the US Government, this site provides information for educators.
Dig It! The Secrets of Soil: An exhibit organized by the Smithsonian Natural History Museum
Dirt? Scientists, Book Artists, and Poets Reflect on Soil and Our Environment
Exhibition dates: August 6, 2015 to December 4, 2015
Exhibition venue: Collins Memorial Library, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington, USA 98416
THEME – 2015 is the United Nations International Year of the Soil. Poets and book artists can join soil scientists in making the soil visible! Soil is the Earth’s delicately structured biological skin—something far more complex than dirt, which is what we buy at garden-supply stores or sweep out of our houses. A multilayered resource that is essential to the water cycle, soil anchors and feeds forests, prairies, and farmed fields. Every terrestrial ecosystem and all our foods sprout from soil, and soil supports many burrowing animals and an amazing biodiversity of microbes, insects, arthropods, and worms—many yet to be scientifically described. For many, soil is sacred ground. As essential as soil is, few people appreciate this crucial resource or promote its health. Many human practices, such as industrial lead and arsenic pollution threaten human and soil health. We are seeking book artists and poets who can offer fresh, intriguing perspectives on soil’s value.
The Book Arts entries will be juried by Lucia Harrison, PhD, Book Artist, Emeritus Faculty The Evergreen State College and founding member of Puget Sound Book Artists; Susan Aurand, MFA, Visual Artist, Emeritus Faculty The Evergreen State College and recipient of Washington State Arts Commission Art in Public Places Commissions; and Abir Biswas, PhD, Earth Scientist and Member of the Faculty at The Evergreen State College. The Poetry entries will be juried by William Kupinse, PhD, Associate Professor and Chair of the English Department at The University of Puget Sound; Sharon A. Sharp, PhD, Poet, Book Artist, Editor, and past-president of the North Carolina Poetry Society, from Boone, North Carolina; and Peggy Burge, MA, MLS, Humanities Librarian at The University of Puget Sound Collins Memorial Library.
EVENTS:
All events are open to the public and will take place in Collins Library.
ONLINE AND PRINT CATALOGS: View all works in the show and learn more about Dirt at www.pugetsound.edu/dirt. Order the print catalog here.
DISPLAY OF ARTIST BOOKS AND POETRY: This exhibition will be displayed at The University of Puget Sound Collins Memorial Library and will include the work of book artists, poets, scientists and environmental educators. We will reproduce the poems as computer-printed broadsides and display them on the walls and in cases. If the poem is written in a language other than English, both the original poem and the English translation will be displayed. Due to the public nature of this exhibition space, the artist books will be in locked display cases, unless other arrangements have been made with the artist. Since we feel artist books need to be handled to be fully appreciated, we will be open to artists’ requests for book displays outside of cases, as space allows.
CONTACT: Lucia Harrison at harrisol@evergreen.edu or Jane Carlin, Collins Library Director, at jcarlin@pugetsound.edu