IATH NEWS

University of Virginia Landscape Studies Initiative

May 24, 2017

The University of Virginia's Center for Cultural Landscapes, in partnership with the School of Architecture, the College of Arts and Sciences, the University Libraries, and the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities (IATH), announces the launch of the University of Virginia Landscape Studies Initiative with a planning grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and additional support from the Jefferson Trust and the Office of the Executive Vice President & Provost.

The Landscape Studies Initiative will catalyze the research of scholars, teachers, students, writers, and practitioners in the areas of anthropology, archaeology, architecture, art history, cultural history, engineering, environmental planning, geography, landscape architecture, and several disciplines in the social and natural sciences.

Landscape Architecture faculty members Elizabeth Meyer and Michael Lee will lead the collaborative design and development of a new interface for texts, maps, narratives and experience of significant cultural landscapes that builds on the thematic structure of Elizabeth Barlow Roger’s 2001 publication Landscape Design: A Cultural and Architectural History.

This initiative’s pilot project will simultaneously study UNESCO World Heritage Site Park Muskau and New York City's Central Park as test beds for an interdisciplinary pedagogical model that both utilizes and creates advanced digital humanities resources related to landscape studies within the classroom.

The Initiative will eventually grow to include digital humanities projects and research initiatives, curricular programs, field studies, professional development programs, annual book prizes, and occasional book reprints in conjunction with partner organizations. It will establish the University of Virginia as a preeminent university for landscape studies through access to rare archival materials in a library setting, as well as the development of advanced digital resources that enable enhanced interpretation of word, image, and design.

For more information, visit the Center for Cultural Landscapes.