Patricia Johanson

Personal Information

• Native of Buskirk, New York.
• Degrees in art and architecture.
• Began writing in 1960.
• Began designs in 1969, doing conceptual designs in the shape of plants and flowers.
• First commission in 1981.
• Currently designing at international level.

Philosophy

• "...to reconnect city dwellers with Nature, and ensure the survival of plant and animal populations. I envision a new kind of public landscape that balances the needs of human beings with those of the living world. My designs often combine restored ecologies with public access, and transform out traditional image of parks into 'ecology gardens.'"
• "...the greatest contribution of ecological art may be its own demise."

Influences

• Harry Parker, director of the Dallas Museum of Art, 1981: Commissioned to revitalize lagoon in Dallas for the sesquicentennial.
• Jill Manton, director of the San Francisco Arts Commission, 1987: Aesthetic construction of a sewer system within an environment that is home to several endangered species.

Intentions

• "...art and nature mirror each other. Themes and patterns unfold gradually, as in a musical composition, and natures is restructured and related to human scale, yet nothing is disturbed or displaced. Plants and animals remain and go on living. The sculpture will grow and change." (Cyrus Fields, 1970)
• "...recreate ecological communities, support wildlife, and introduce urban dwellers to intricate webs of life within the context of art projects and public parks."

Examples of Work

• Cyrus Fields -- Buskirk, New York, 1970: A series of paths in three different materials-marble, redwood, and cement blocks - through a mixed forest of pine, birch, and maple trees.
• Fairpark/Leonhardt Lagoon -- Dallas, Texas, 1981-1986: A set of sculptures resembling two native plant species. Intertwined throughout the water, the sculpture helps to re-establish the ecology within and surrounding the lagoon.
• Endangered Garden -- San Francisco, California, 1984-1988: helping to save and re-establish an ecosystem containing several endangered plant and animal species while incorporating an aesthetically pleasing sewer system.
• Park for a Rainforest -- Amazonas, Brazil, 1992-ongoing: A fifteen story pathway intertwined into the Brazilian rainforest. Materials resemble the surroundings, and is meant to reveal all levels of the rainforest to the user.

Media

• The natural environment
• Hardscape materials (concrete, block, etc.)
• Plants

Related Works

• Mill Creek Canyon Earthworks -- Herbert Bayer
• Bingham Copper Mining Pit-Utah Reclamation Project -- Robert Smithson
• Opus 40 -- Harvey Fite
• Untitled -- Robert Morris
• Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan for Red Ash and Coal Silt Area- Willow Rings -- Harriet Feigenbaum
• Water Strider of the Effigy Tumuli Sculptures -- Michael Heizer

Related Fields of Study

• Art
• Ecology
• Urban Renewal
• Architecture

Inspirations

• Nature
• Endangered species
• Plant forms

Questions

• What exactly does "months of research on the site" entail?
• Why do you not involve yourself in the construction process?
• What have been your various museum shows?
• What grabbed your interest in 1960 when you began writing?

Bibliography

• Matilsky, Barbara C. Fragile Ecologies. 1992.
• Oakes, Baile. Sculpting with the Environment. 1995.
• Sonfist, Alan. Art in the Land. 1983.
• http://drseuss.lib.uidaho.edu:70/docs/egj01/groat01.html.

This information was compiled by Alyssa Noll (2-14-97).

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