Natalie Robertson, Rangitukia Hikoi 0-14, 2016. Courtesy of the artist.
In Fall 2024, Dr. Meredith “Brinker” Ferguson (‘18) and Dr. Maggie Wander (‘24) will teach an undergraduate course together titled “Ecology and Contemporary Art in Oceania.” Brinker is the head of the Cultural Heritage Preventative Preservation Program at Dartmouth College and a lecturing professor in the department of Native American and Indigenous Studies. Maggie recently graduated from the Visual Studies program and is assistant professor of art history at Santa Clara University. Brinker and Maggie both study critical heritage and colonial history in Oceania, and together they have created a course that explores how contemporary art engages with ecological issues and Indigenous Pacific sovereignty. The course will feature guest appearances by practicing artists who offer radical reimaginings that inspire the public to act and to hold those most responsible for ecological injustice to account.