Solutions for Social Impact: Helping Pollinators by Unlawning America

Helping Pollinators by Unlawning America

October 10, 2023, at 5 p.m. 

McCarthy Arts Center Recital Hall 

Presenter: Professor Brian Collier, Department of Fine Arts: Art and Design 

“How much lawn do we really need?”  

That’s the very question Saint Michael’s College Professor Brian Collier prompts his audiences to explore. 

For more than 20 years, Collier has been creating work that investigates the plants and animals that live in and around our built environment. His projects use a wide range of artistic media and strategies to enrich understanding, appreciation, and enhancement of our more-than-human neighbors to develop a stronger sense of connection to the natural world where we live and work.  

Collier has examined the history, culture, and ecological impact of lawns – hoping to inspire people to shift away from the unquestioned habit of continuous lawn mowing, and thus the many negative impacts it has had on the world around us. This presentation will focus on declining insect populations, the ecological problems related to keeping large areas of mowed lawn, and how to create more pollinator-beneficial habitat using various strategies Collier has proposed through the “Unlawning America” project.