Abstract

Ideas about wilderness, nature, and sustainability are significant parts of the American artistic tradition. The visual arts and popular visual culture are particularly influential in conveying ideas, stories, and myths about nature that animate discussions about environmental responsibility, ecology, and sustainability. Artists, filmmakers, designers, and advertisers echo these beliefs and attitudes. The stories we tell ourselves about nature deeply influence approaches to preservation, restoration, sustainability and the practice of art and art education that is concerned with ecological issues. This article traces ideas about nature in a few selected art histories, in popular visual culture, in the work of contemporary artists, and in the practice of art education. Ideas about nature create rich contexts for teaching, learning, and art-making that focus on ecology and the places students and teachers inhabit.