CED Hosts Month of Events to Celebrate Frederick Law Olmsted
As April 2022 comes to a close, we want to recognize all of the events CED has hosted this month in celebration of Frederick Law Olmsted’s 200th Birthday and his lasting legacy in the landscape architecture and planning fields. Over the past four weeks, we heard from CED Associate Professor Dr. Scott Nesbitt about Olmsted’s impact in the South’s development during Civil War reconstruction, welcomed CED alumna Lucy Lawliss and Tunnell & Tunnell landscape architect Spencer Tunnell for a panel presentation moderated by CED emeritus faculty member Bill Mann that discussed the meaning of Olmsted’s work over generations, and hosted a community screening of the film “Olmsted and America’s Urban Parks” which examines America’s first great city parks in the late 1800s from Olmsted’s perspective.
In addition to these events, we have an Olmsted exhibition on display in Circle Gallery in the Jackson Street Building. This exhibition is a partnership between The Oak Spring Garden Foundation, the National Association for Olmsted Parks, and Olmsted 200, focuses on Olmsted’s life story, his major landscape commissions, and their relevance for contemporary society. The exhibition also explores Olmsted’s influential philosophy about the natural world and how to shape and design it for the general public’s benefit.
We want to give special thanks to CED Academic Professional Tom Jones for his hard work in coordinating these events and helping promote them throughout our community. Thanks to everyone who attended these events and participated in these conversations!
Be sure to visit our Circle Gallery and catch the final days of the Olmsted exhibition and follow Olmsted 200 for other ways to engage with this nationwide Olmsted celebration.