Samantha DiRosa, associate professor of digital art and environmental studies, recently presented on her CATL scholar research at the Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education regional conference in Whidbey Island, Wash.
Titled The Role of Contemplation in Fostering Art/Science Relationships in Ecological Art Projects, her presentation discussed the central role that contemplative practices played in her Ecological Art course: to provide a connection point between disciplines and a common space from which to begin probing this question; to help dissolve barriers to embodied environmental engagement (such as egocentrism and anthropocentrism); and to provide a grounding support to larger and more complex collaborative cross-disciplinary projects.
DiRosa’s two-year ‘Scholarship of Teaching and Learning’ research project began in 2010 and aims to create more visible bridges between culturally polarized fields of study, while broadening the interdisciplinary dialogue on sustainability and the environment within the undergraduate curriculum at Elon University. The course, Ecological Art, which is central to the project, brings together nascent artists and scientists from the Art and Environmental Studies programs in order to find innovative ways of understanding and communicating critical environmental issues.