Land Arts of the American West at Texas Tech is a transdisciplinary field program that investigates the intersection of human construction and the evolving nature of the planet. The program leverages immersive field experience in the desert southwest as a primary pedagogic agent to support research that opens horizons of perception, probes depths of inquiry, and advances understanding of human actions shaping environments. Land Arts attracts architects, artists, and writers from across the university and beyond to a “semester abroad in our own backyard” that travels 6,000 miles overland while camping for two months to experience major land art monuments—Double Negative, Spiral Jetty, Sun Tunnels, The Lightning Field—while also visiting sites to expand understanding of what land art might be, such as pre-contact archeology, military and industrial facilities, and contemporary infrastructure. Throughout the travels and on campus participants interact with a wide range of guests as they make work in response to their experience, which is exhibited at the Museum of Texas Tech University to conclude the field season.
The Land Arts program has been the subject of and featured in multiple books and publications, a documentary film, and in the New York Times.
Vision
Nurture a transdisciplinary education community that investigates the intersection of human construction and the evolving nature of the planet by leveraging immersive field experience in the desert southwest to support research that advances complex and interconnected understandings of human/nature relationships that define our world.
Mission
Land Arts changes lives by expanding awareness, confidence, and contributions of individuals and communities.
Values
Emerging from the ‘no-trace’ wilderness ethic, Land Arts seeks responsibility in our actions, depth in our inquiries, and legibility in our production.
Objectives
Operational success of Land Arts can be measured through the production of student and guest participants in both immediate and long time horizons, through engagement with expansive audiences, and contributions to culture building.
This site documents the history and trajectory of Land Arts of the American West at Texas Tech University. It is maintained by Chris Taylor of the Huckabee College of Architecture. Field Reports from each year can be found through the index of Field Seasons. Once within the image archive it is possible to navigate chronologically through Field Seasons or jump by keywords or categories. The home page include a random selection of images across many years to facilitate jumping in. This web archive is active and ongoing, so look for more content distant and future to be added in time. Please direct any comments or suggestions about the site to the email address below. Thanks for being here.
