Helen Mayer and Newton Harrison

Helen Mayer (1927-2018) and Newton Harrison (b.1932), known as “The Harrisons” are among the leading pioneers of the art and ecology movement. They have worked for over fifty years with biologists, ecologists, urban planners, architects, and other artists creating dialogue and generating ideas in support of biodiversity and community development in the face of environmental devastation. Past projects have focused on water shed restoration, urban renewal, soil, agriculture and forestry as well as urban ecology. The Harrisons visionary projects have in the past led to changes in government policy and expanded dialogue around previously unexplored issues leading to practical implementation in the United States and in Europe. Their ground breaking work has been acknowledged by international awards from 1992 to the present, including the Groenevald Prize, the Netherlands 2001; the inaugural AWE prize from the Chartered Institution for Water and Environmental Management, UK 2010 and a lifetime award from the North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS) in 2013.

In 2013 the Harrison Studio founded the Centre for the Study of the Force Majeure, University of California Santa Cruz, bringing artists and scientists together in eco adaptation projects in critical regions around the world to respond to climate change.

http://www.centerforforcemajeure.org (current work)

https://theharrisonstudio.net (earlier work)

https://www.thenatureofcities.com/2023/03/18/paying-attention-to-make-art-twenty-nine-voices-on-the-legacy-of-newton-and-helen-mayer-harrison/ (the legacy of Newton and Helen Mayer Harrison)