Acclaimed Environmental Artist and Activist to Appear at Carleton College

Acclaimed designer, artist, and environmental activist Fritz Haeg will appear at Carleton College on Thursday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Boliou Hall Auditorium. Entitled “Welcoming the Wild,” Haeg’s presentation details his ambitious and eclectic projects that bridge art, design, gardening, and environmental research and activism. This event is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

Born in Minnesota and currently based in Los Angeles, Haeg is best known for his “Edible Estates” landscaping project, an ongoing effort designed to encourage and inspire homeowners all over the U.S. to replace their front lawns with highly productive edible gardens. The acclaimed project is chronicled in “Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn” (Metropolis Books, 2008). The book places Haeg’s groundbreaking project in the context of larger issues concerning the environment, global food production, and the imperative to generate a sense of community in our urban and suburban neighborhoods.

Copies of this colorful and compelling book are currently on sale at the Carleton Bookstore at a 15 percent discount. The book will also be available for purchase at the event. Following his presentation, Haeg will sign copies of his work and be available for questions.

Haeg is also the creator of a conceptual art project titled “Animal Estates,” in which he designs and builds sculptural homes for creatures displaced from their natural habitats, using the exhibitions as a clearing house for research and information on the species. For more information, visit www.fritzhaeg.com.

While at Carleton, Haeg plans to tour the Cowling Arboretum and confer with Art Gallery Director Laurel Bradley and with Arboretum Director Nancy Braker about the possibility of a future art project at the College. He will also meet with students of Farm House to advance activity around vegetable gardening on the campus.

Haeg’s appearance is in conjunction with the Carleton Art Gallery’s current exhibit “Natural Resourcery: Studio Art Faculty Go Outdoors” and is sponsored by the Carleton Department of Art and Art History and the Committee for Studies in the Arts. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-5870.