- Category
- Free Fridays
Drop-in Collection Tour—Art in the Living Landscape with Juan William Chávez and Kiersten Torrez
Join artist and beekeeper Juan William Chávez and master gardener and fiber artist Kiersten Torrez on a guided tour to learn about connections between visual art, ecology, and land stewardship. Focusing on ancient Mesoamerican works in the Museum’s collection, this tour explores how art can inspire reflection on the communal use of land and how nurturing a caring relationship with nature can inspire creativity.
This tour is the first of a two-part series Art in the Living Landscape, in which Chávez and Torrez discuss works in the Saint Louis Art Museum collection that inspire their artistic and social practice. Visitors are invited to attend one or both tours. The first tour in the series takes place November 13.
Tours begin at the welcome desk in Sculpture Hall and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Juan William Chávez and Kiersten Torrez
About the facilitators
Over the past 15 years, Juan William Chávez and Kiersten Torrez have developed nationally recognized social-practice art projects that foster community building and deepen ecological awareness. Their collaborative work explores decolonization, environmental stewardship, Native and Indigenous Latinx land-growing practices, and the cultivation of native plants and pollinators through art installations, native bee gardens, workshops, performances, zines, and publications. Their recent project, Wak’a Garden, currently on view at Laumeier Sculpture Park, is constructed from fallen trees, branches, soil, and rocks reclaimed from the Park’s grounds. The garden functions as both a habitat for native pollinators and plants and a sacred monument that honors the interconnectedness of land, ecology, and community
Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.
