Frances G. Beatty
Frances Beatty focuses on cultural landscape history and creative placemaking. Ms. Beatty earned an M.A. in preservation studies from Boston University and a B.S. in landscape architecture from The Pennsylvania State University. At the Boston Parks Department, she directed the restoration of Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace parks and Boston Common—including the development of the Muddy River Project. Ms. Beatty’s other leadership roles have included serving as president of the Boston Society of Landscape Architects at the American Society of Landscape Architects’ (ASLA) Centennial Celebration in 1999; department head of landscape architecture at the University of Arkansas; president of ALSA’s Arkansas chapter; and as executive director of Dell’Arte International, an arts non-profit organization and a California leader in creative placemaking. She has served as a visiting evaluator on the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board for ten programs; on the Bradford Williams Writing Award selection committee; on the Landscape Architecture Magazine editorial advisory committee; and on the inaugural Arcata Historic Landmark Committee. In Humboldt County, California, Ms. Beatty leads local initiatives in rural creative placemaking and is one of the founding members of the Humboldt Creative Alliance, which rouses the rabble for local arts with vision, moxie, and civic action.
Statement: My interest in honoring Cornelia Hahn Oberlander lies with the transformational nature of her work. Her attention to detail while holding on to big ideas and big ideals will be a north star guiding our future. In 2006, when I invited her to the University of Arkansas to give a lecture in the School of Architecture, I was inspired by her deep dedication to landscape architecture, her ambitious reach, and her authentic humility.