Presentation Schedule
Underground Commons: Rhizospheric Art Practices in Partnership with Soil Communities (96203)
Session Chair: Jean Schmitt
Thursday, 2 October 2025 15:45
Session: Session 2
Room: (B1) Poble Nou
Presentation Type:Oral Presentation
This presentation explores the subterranean rhizosphere—where roots, microbes, worms, and fungi work together to produce healthy soil—as both metaphor and methodology for partnership-based artistic practice. The rhizosphere provides a model for connection across perceived boundaries, drawing from my studio work with composting worms. My practice centers on cultivating relationships with the more-than-human, positioning these beings as co-creators rather than subjects. The work manifests through multiple streams: large-scale graphite drawings rendering worms at human scale; experimental "worm trails" created as worms move across paper with wheatgrass juice; and functional ceramic "worm tureens" merging historical decorative arts with contemporary vermicomposting. In land adjacent to my studio, the endangered Arkansas prairie includes root systems extending five meters under the ground. This expansive subterranean network offers a powerful extension of my studio investigations through collaborative engagement with the Prairie Pedagogy Research Group. Through partnerships with the Indigenous Arts and Knowledge Council—including representatives from Caddo, Quapaw, and Osage Nations whose ancestral connections to these landscapes remain vital—this work creates gathering places where soil becomes both material and metaphor for nurturing resilient communities. My role centers on creating contexts where multiple perspectives and ways of knowing can inform each other—facilitating partnerships between the School of Art, biological sciences, sustainability professionals, and Indigenous knowledge holders. By engaging with the invisible, interconnected networks beneath our feet, this practice offers pathways toward more relational ways of making that honor both ecological processes and cultural heritage while fostering sustainable connections between people and place.
Authors:
Jean Schmitt, University of Arkansas, United States
About the Presenter(s)
Jean Schmitt is an assistant professor in the School of Art at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-schmitt-592984218/
See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule
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