The CSFS Future of Food Global Dialogue Series presents:
*Online* Finding Flowers: Examining Intersections of Art, Ecology and Pedagogy
About this Seminar
Inspired by the late Mi’kmaq artist Mike MacDonald, the Finding Flowers project aims to build connections and knowledge about people, land and wildlife by bridging art and science. The loss of pollinators and native landscapes threatens the sustainability of natural ecosystems and the people connected to these natural processes. By focusing on wild pollinators and native plants, Profs Lisa Myers and Sheila Colla will discuss the project’s commitment to understanding nature from diverse perspectives. Various activities of the project include the replanting of Mike MacDonald’s Butterfly Gardens across Canada, pollination studies of culturally important medicinal plants, knowledge-sharing events and community science programming, coordinated by Research Associate,
Dana Prieto.
About the Presenters
Dr. Sheila Colla
Dr. Sheila Colla is a classically trained Ecologist, using scientific principles to address real-world conservation issues. Her research thus far has focused on the conservation of lesser-understood native species such as bees, butterflies and flowering plants. As pollinators and pollination have become important issues amongst policymakers and the public in recent years, her work has become more interdisciplinary. She works closely with environmental NGOs, landowners, academic partners and government agencies at the municipal, provincial and federal levels to implement conservation management based on the best available science. Dr. Colla’s research considers species with large ranges across the US and Canada, but also local species which are at-risk in Ontario.
Dr. Lisa Myers
Dr. Lisa Myers is the co-PI of the Finding Flowers Project and an assistant professor with the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at York University. Based in Toronto and Port Severn, she is a member of Chimnissing, Beausoleil First Nation, as well as an internationally recognized artist and curator. Myers’s research focuses on Contemporary Indigenous art and curatorial practice, Indigenous food systems and food sovereignty. Through socially engaged art, she creates gatherings that respond to place, sharing Indigenous foods and reflecting on underrepresented histories and collective forms of knowledge exchange.
Date and Time
Thursday, February 11, 2021 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. PST
- 45min Presentation
- 15min Q&A
The CSFS Future of Food Global Dialogue Series is brought to you by the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems.