Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America
Courtesy of PBS
Apr. 26, 2022, marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted, the master designer of public parks and a founder of the field of landscape architecture. Join historian and filmmaker Laurence Cotton (originator of and consulting producer to the PBS special Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America) as he does a deep dive into the remarkable life and career of the Renaissance man Olmsted — writer, philosopher, social reformer, advocate for the preservation of natural scenery and creator of some of the most beautiful public and private parks and gardens in all of North America. Laurence will talk about design traditions, aesthetics and philosophies that influenced Olmsted’s thought — including English garden design, the Hudson River School and Transcendentalism. Laurence will also give a visual tour of representative masterful landscapes designed by Olmsted Sr. as well as his two sons, who together established the Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm. The footprint of their works stretches across the entire continent of North America, with something of a focus on the American West.
Speaker
Laurence F. Cotton
Raised in the eastern suburbs of Boston, Laurence began his career in the arenas of conflict resolution, international affairs and international humanitarian assistance, serving on the staff of Oxfam America and with several Harvard-affiliated foreign policy research institutes. Laurence relocated to Oregon in 1994 to serve as Executive Director of the World Affairs Council of Oregon. He served on committees that planned legacy projects for the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial, played a role in launching the restoration efforts for Vista House and served as a consultant to the Confluence Project. Laurence currently serves as a historian on small-ship cruise vessels that ply the rivers and coastlines of North America. As a landscape historian, he is active with the National Association for Olmsted Parks. As a biographer of Frederick Law Olmsted, Laurence travels regularly across North America, presenting his PBS film and delivering a popular PowerPoint talk about the Olmsted legacy.
Moderator
Clementine Jang
Clementine Jang is a landscape architectural designer, originally from South Korea. She co-founded SOFT STUDIO, a plant-focused design practice based in Oakland, California. Her design process is based on the premise that landscape architecture should reflect the values we hold as designers and as people while remaining a joyful and exploratory endeavor. This includes researching historical context, playing with metaphors, and building spaces that embrace a role in the broader ecosystem.
She holds a Masters in Landscape Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Sculpture from Maryland Institute College of Art.