Greetings!

Come and see two great documentaries on the Midwestern prairie landscape this weekend! $5 gets you in to see both films! This is a can't miss event!
First up: America's Lost Landscape: The Tallgrass Prairie

America's Lost Landscape: The Tallgrass Prairie tells the rich and complex story of one of the most astonishing alterations of nature in human history. Prior to Euro-American settlement in the 1820s, one of the major landscape features of North America was 240 million acres of tallgrass prairie. But between 1830 and 1900 - in the space of a single lifetime - the tallgrass prairie was steadily transformed to farmland. This drastic change in the landscape also brought about an enormous social change for Native Americans; in an equally short time their cultural imprint was reduced in essence to a handful of place-names appearing on maps.
America's Lost Landscape examines the record of human struggle, triumph, and defeat that prairie history exemplifies, including the history and culture of America's aboriginal inhabitants. The story of how and why the prairie was changed by Euro-American settlement is thoughtfully nuanced. The film also highlights prairie preservation efforts and explores how the tallgrass prairie ecosystem may serve as a model for a sustainable agriculture of the future. The extraordinary cinematography of prairie remnants, original score and archival images are all delicately interwoven to create a powerful and moving viewing experience about the natural and cultural history of America. Written by David O'Shields
The film starts at 1:30pm

World Premiere: Jens Jensen: The Living Green

Excerpt from QCTImes article by Alma Gaul:

A documentary titled "Jens Jensen The Living Green" by Viva Lundin Productions, Chicago, will have its world premiere Saturday, July 20,  at the Figge Art Museum auditorium in Davenport.

The Jensen film was done for the Public Broadcasting Service, or PBS.

The documentary by Carey Lundin and Mark Frazel tells Jensen's life story and accomplishments, but its focus is his belief  that "people need daily access to the living green or they will shrivel up and die," Lundin said.

In Chicago, as in most crowded urban areas, regular people had little to no access to nature in Jensen's lifetime. This was a detriment to their spirit and, by extension, to their neighborhoods and society as a whole.

Jensen wanted to make parks accessible. He equated this with democracy, with being American, Lundin said.

"He thought America should not emulate Europe," she said. "He thought we should have our own identity, an American identity, an American aesthetic."

The film is full of beautiful images and tells a compelling story as there were times in Jensen's life when he was battling corruption in Chicago,  Lundin explained.

He also was internally conflicted between his belief that there should be free, beautiful spaces for the public and the fact that he made money by designing private landscapes for the very wealthy.

"I think people are really going to enjoy the story," Lundin said. "Once people find out how philosophical a city park can be, they will flip for him."

The film starts at approximately 3pm

 

Don't forget to stop into GAHC before the film to see the exhibit, Land & Water!
Thank you and if you have any questions about the film showing, don't hesitate to contact us at 563-322-8844 or kelly.lao@gahc.org!
The Figge is located at 225 W 2nd Street Davenport, IA.

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