Environmental Art & Language
December 5, 2024 - November 29, 2025
(Part of the College of Arts & Sciences Creative Connections initiative*)
The FGCU Art Galleries, in partnership with Jesse Millner, Department of Language
& Literature and Sasha Minsky, Art Department Adjunct Faculty, created a hybrid visual
art and creative writing site-specific outdoor public exhibition. Under the guidance
of their professors, this exhibition was created by and features the work of FGCU
students from the Nature & Creative Writing courses and FGCU Art & Design Alumni.
As the arts become increasingly integrated throughout campus, these cross curricular
efforts promote increased collaboration between diverse students. The end result of
the project is this large-scale multi panel mural on display in the highly visible
walkway between the Cohen Student Union & Sugden Hall leading the way to Parking Garage
1.
Students in Jesse Millner’s Nature & Creative Writing courses in collaboration with
Sasha Minsky, Art Department Adjunct Faculty and FGCU Art & Design Alumni created the
mural series.
Sponsored by Gene and Lee Seidler, the Wasmer Endowment, and WGCU Public Media.
Image Credit: Justin McDowell, You Are Not Shaken, 2018, Printed digital design.
* The College of Arts & Sciences is dedicated to strengthening connections between creative disciplines—Art, Music, Theatre, and Writing—and diverse fields such as social and natural sciences, health, law, business, and athletics.
These connections already exist, but we are actively working to highlight and expand them through special events and branding efforts. By doing so, we aim to help the FGCU community and the wider public recognize the profound impact of interdisciplinary collaboration. Imagine how an art project could drive awareness of environmental sustainability, or how a theatre production could illuminate the historical and ethical dimensions of public health. The possibilities are endless.
As artist and ocean explorer Rebecca Rutstein aptly stated:
"I think it's incredibly important for people to get out of their individual silos and sit at the table together. This is the only way forward if we are to solve the greatest global challenges of our time, like our climate crisis. Artists can play a critical role in communicating with and moving the general public by creating the expressive and emotional drivers that scientific data lacks."
By fostering these collaborations, we open new doors for innovation, understanding, and meaningful change.
