Research

Environmental Justice Art Museum by Tara Vasanth

I worked with Professor Alan Braddock from William & Mary’s Art and Art History Department to develop an online art museum called the EJAM.

EJAM explores the relationship between art and environmental justice in a variety of contemporary contexts, emphasizing the role of imagination and creativity in critical inquiry, public communication, education, and activism — and related dilemmas.

EJAM and the Environmental Humanities Hub are powered by a dedicated group of students and faculty members at the William & Mary whose interests and expertise span multiple departments and disciplines.

Professor Alan Braddock is the creator and director of this collaboratively-constructed online museum and its parent organization (The Hub). It’s a true pleasure to be a part of this initiative!

Please visit the EJAM website here.

Project Synergy by Tara Vasanth

The issue of environmental conservation is deeply intricate and interdisciplinary, and it demands an integrated approach informed by artistic, ethnic, and socio-economic insights to formulate productive and enduring solutions. I am exploring how a compelling, cross-disciplinary combination of green architecture, education, and conservation can combat problems of environmental degradation, food insecurity, and urban decay within an area. This triad of influences guides my design of Project Synergy, a proposed environmental education, cultural, and community center that would be built on an urban site in the state of Wyoming.

Click here to read the paper.

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Nexus of Change by Tara Vasanth

How do we reconcile the tremendous strides the human race has taken to build and better the world in the last millennium with the intense and ineffaceable consequences of its relentless drive for dominance over the natural world? We are living in a time marked by industry, innovation, and interconnectedness, where energy is incessantly harvested and exhausted on a titanic scale, cutting-edge technology is leveraged to overcome the world’s greatest challenges, and information flits across digital screens at meteoric velocity. We are also living in a time marred by ecological collapse, wildlife endangerment, extinction, and energy crises. Reconciling progress and sustainability is a simply stated problem that does not lend itself to simple solutions.

Click here to read the paper.

A Rosie By Any Other Name by Tara Vasanth

On a brightly lit, rose-red wall within the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, hangs a painting that defied convention and stirred controversy; it was a painting that contributed to Allied Victory in World War II and now stands in mute commentary on the Battle of the Sexes in America of those days. Rosie the Riveter, painted by American artist and illustrator Norman Rockwell in 1943, signified a profound shift in the collective consciousness of the American people during a time of great conflict.

Click here to read the paper.

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