Drawn to Yellowstone: The Role of Art in the Preservation of the American Landscape

Throughout history, art has served as an agent of change. During the 19th and 20th centuries, several artists played significant roles in efforts to preserve the wilderness of the American landscape, as it was disappearing rapidly. The emerging conservation movement of the late 1900s was strongly influenced by the inspiration and agency of artists such as Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Cole, and Frederic Edwin Church. Specifically, the story of the creation of Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, is inextricably rooted in the lives and works of several artists, most notably William Henry Jackson and Thomas Moran. In his presentation, Robert Petty, senior director of education at Yellowstone Forever, explores the essential role that artists and their work have played in the preservation of the American landscape and wilderness, with a focus on Yellowstone National Park.

Robert leads Yellowstone Forever’s team of program managers and field instructors. For 18 years he worked for the National Audubon Society in various roles, most recently as the director of bird-friendly communities, in which he lead the design and implementation of a national strategy for urban-habitat conservation programs. He holds a BFA in graphic design and illustration from Washington University and an MFA in painting from the University of Montana.

Free and open to the public; registration requested.

Co-sponsored by the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities