Finally, Women in the Dirt, a documentary about female professional landscape architects, officially debuts on June 15th at the Fine Arts Theater in Asheville, NC. Already shown at several private screenings, the film is getting rave reviews from academics around the country. Karen Hanna, professor of landscape architecture at Cal Poly calls it "a masterful work," and historian and LA professor Thaisa Way at the University of Washington says the women profiled in the film are "pushing the boundaries" in their profession.
Through the eyes of seven celebrated female designers, the film explains how women have helped shape landscape architecture over the past 100 years. It features interviews with and gardens designed by Cheryl Barton, Andrea Cochran, Mia Lehrer, Isabelle Greene, Lauren Mendenez, Pamela Palmer and Katherine Spitz. While all of these women practice in California, the film nevertheless firmly demonstrates how modern women are changing the landscape. The quote from Mia Lehrer perhaps says it all: "As landscape architects we are equipped so well to deal with the issue of our time. And we have a certain level of responsibility to try to make a difference." Watch the trailer, below.
Women in the Dirt Trailer 1 from Wind Media Productions on Vimeo.
And if you'd like to screen the film in your area, contact Angela Alston at Moca Media: [email protected] or 718-407-0670.
Very curious to see the film in the DC area if/when it comes. Really regret the title. Would a similar film about male LA's ever be called, "Men in the Dirt"? Doubt it.
Posted by: Cheryl Corson | May 18, 2011 at 07:46 AM