Our environment is more than just a physical space to pass through or occupy: it is an inseparable part of community, culture, and everyday lived experiences.
While easily overlooked, these experiences in nature turn anywhere into somewhere and anything into something: from a creek or a plant—into that one creek and that specific plant.
Cultural knowledge of our surroundings can be expressed in a wide variety of ways, including a memory shared about the path to an old fishing spot, the community place name of a local landmark, the image of an invasive species on a work of art, the processing of a local plant into fiber cordage, and more.
Knowing Land reminds us of the obligation to steward not only the physical environment, but to also safeguard the cultural knowledge of that landscape, for future generations.
Knowing Land is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
