"Water on Our Doorstep"

The University of Hartford will host a day-long symposium on the Park River watershed, ending with a lecture by internationally renowned environmental artist Mary Miss, on Tuesday, March 22, in Wilde Auditorium.  The program, titled "Water on our Doorstep," will explore the past, present, and future of the Park River watershed – including the portion of the Park River that runs through campus, commonly known as the Hog River.  

“Water on our Doorstep” will bring together a wide range of speakers and presenters, including scientists, engineers, policy makers, historians, art historians, architects, activists, representatives of government agencies, and students.  The symposium is part of Park Water Arts, a year-long eco-arts festival, and it is being organized by Sherry Buckberrough, associate professor of art history (A&S) and chair of the department.

The symposium will feature panels on "Park River Watershed History," "The Park River Watershed Now," and "Future of the Watershed."  There will be a variety of presentations within each panel, including such topics as Imaging the Park Watershed – Hudson River School and Daniel Wadsworth; A River Choked by Urbanization; Legacy of the Clean Water Act; Neighborhood Stormwater; Art and Ecology in the Park River Watershed; North Park Watershed Plan Implementation;  Park River Within Hartford; and much more. Attendees also will have an opportunity to view student poster sessions and a student exhibition at Mortensen Library.

The day’s events will end with a lecture by acclaimed environmental artist Mary Miss at 7:30 p.m. in Wilde Auditorium.  In April, the Joseloff Gallery will present an exhibition titled Mary Miss: City as Living Laboratory, Hartford. The exhibition will center on a site-specific, multi-part installation created by Miss to bring attention to the Park River and its watershed.

On the forefront of the Eco Art movement, Miss has spent years of exploration and research in the development of major environmental art projects. Miss aims to make issues of sustainability compelling to the public, envisioning the city as a laboratory, where collaboration among planners, scientists, artists and designers can make a city’s sustainability policies tangible to its citizens.

The symposium is sponsored by the Humanities Center and the College of Arts and Sciences, with further support from the JCJ Architecture Endowment of the Department of Architecture, the President’s College, Hillyer College, the Art History Department, Mortensen Library, the English Department, and the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies.