Michigan State University Distinguished Speaker Series
Join Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, President + CEO of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, at Michigan State University where he will deliver a presentation entitled "Why Not Cultural Systems? Design, Historic Preservation & Cultural Landscapes."
Drawing heavily on the work of The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), this lecture explores the dilemma created by the profession’s emphasis on natural over cultural systems as well as the artificial divide between historic preservation and design. Topics to be introduced include: What is the foundational knowledge that informs stewardship/in- terpretation of our landscape legacy? How do we assign value? How can we work (and communicate) holistically across myriad disciplines? How do we make a landscape’s palimpsest known? How can we tell these stories to the broadest possible audience?
The lecture will be followed by a seated interview between Birnbaum and Bill Johnson where Birnbaum will prompt Johnson to share his unique approach and philosophy to illuminate and inspire future generations of leaders.
6:00 —7:00 PM Meet and Greet. Museum is Open. Cash bar available.
7:00 —8:00 PM Presentation followed by seated interview between Charles Birnbaum and Bill Johnson
Reception immediately follows.
This event is free and open to the public.
Bill Johnson, the subject of TCLF's most recent Pioneers of American Landscape Design Oral History series, has focused on issues of environmental design throughout his 50 year career as planner, designer, teacher and academic administrator. A landscape architect by training, his early interests focused on broad-scale land development/protection strategies. Johnson pioneered in shaping cross-disciplinary ways-of-working in fitting land development programs to sensitive environmental conditions. His practice has ranged across projects of regional and community planning, urban design, long-range campus development, natural resource and historic preservation. Johnson’s contributions emphasize the balancing of social, cultural and environmental values in problem-solving initiatives. The scope of his personal involvement ranges from designer to development strategist to facilitator in environmental conflict-resolution issues. This event celebrated his career achievements. Johnson obtained his bachelor’s degree from MSU in 1953. He went on to complete an MLA from Harvard after his military service. He formed Johnson, Johnson and Roy with his brother Carl and Clarence Roy in 1961, and amongst other accomplishments served as Dean of the School of Natural Resources at the University of Michigan from 1975–1983. Johnson was named a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1973 and awarded the ASLA Medal in 1986.