What part does human-made landscape play in defining and shaping our culture? In Oregon? In the United States? Across the world? One Cultural Trust funded county cultural coalition, in partnership with a local community college, is taking on that question in several artistic media:

On Friday October 11 at 1 pm the Yamhill County Cultural Coalition (YCCC) and Chemeketa Community College Yamhill Valley Campus (CCC-YVC) will screen the film “Figure in a Landscape” by John Brinckerhoff Jackson, who spent almost 50 years travelling around the United States analyzing the landscape changes brought on by human beings, and is now regarded as the founder of landscape studies. Jackson’s film provides a long-term portrait of America’s human-made landscape; it explains the premise that commonality across our human-made landscape confirms that the United States is (actually) a cohesive culture. In fact, Jackson believed that human-made landscapes, when analyzed, reveal to us the political and cultural forces shaping those landscapes, and, therefore, our culture.

In conjunction with this film screeming, YCCC and CCC-YVC are currently hosting a countywide cultural photo contest for the 3rd time. Each year, photographers choose to submit photographs that capture human-made landscape. Adam Holden, a YCCC board member, believes that many local cultural photographers are instinctually drawn to human-made landscapes because these landscapes are, in fact, a language that can be used to communicate local culture to others. The YCCC and CCC-YVC partnered to screen the film and host a panel to complement the annual photo contest.

At 2 pm on October 11, a panel of interdisciplinary professionals (landscape architect, architect, stone sculptor, anthropologist, creative writer) will discuss the film’s applicability to local culture and its relevance to all Americans. In addition, the panel will examine how the word “landscape” informs their work and the way they view human-made landscape in Oregon.

The YCCC and CCC-YVC invite the public to the film, panel, and a dessert reception to follow at 3 pm. The ideas presented in this film (Figure in a Landscape) and the questions asked of our panel are relevant to anyone residing in Yamhill County or in the United States. Indeed, we can all benefit from a deeper understanding of human-made environments and their impact on our way of life. The photo contest will also be open for viewing on October 11th.

– Adam Holden, Student Services Specialist, Chemeketa Community College, Yamhill County