Photo by: Cameron Lee '25
During Fall semester, several faculty and staff members are working with students and community partners on many thoughtful and exciting collaborative projects, which are administered by Whitman's Community-Engaged Learning and Research Initiative (CELRI). This week's feature: animals, art, and the local community.
With the support of a CELRI Grant, Associate Professor of Art Maria Lux took the students in Animals and Art (ARTS 110) to the Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days on the second day of classes. Their task: to take and curate a series of photos focusing on animal presence—not just the cutest photos or best compositions, but “a collection of images that combine to make a point, form an argument, tell a story, or have a strong central theme.” Students were asked to consider both form (repeated colors, lines, compositional structure, etc.) and content to create a coherent set. The field trip was followed by a visit from WSU Walla Walla Extension Director Debbie Moburg-Williams, who gave a presentation on 4-H and answered questions about local animal agriculture.
“For first-year students just beginning to get a sense of the area, I think it was helpful to join with a broader community that they otherwise might not get to interact with,” says Lux.
In the Animals and Art course, which is part of the Foundations series in the arts curriculum, students consider the many different kinds of relationships humans have with animals as well as the ways artistic practice contributes to these broader conversations. Most of all, they gain experience using artistic practices as a way of engaging with the world, locally and beyond.
