Johanson Water Facility Completed

Beginning in 2000, Johanson worked with Carollo Engineers to overlay art, public access, sewage treatment, habitat restorations, and agriculture, thus embedding major urban infrastructure within living nature at the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility, Petaluma, Calif., completed in April 2008. Photo Courtesy the City of Petaluma, California.

Known worldwide for her large-scale designs, Johanson created the multi-purpose public landscape in Petaluma, Calif., using constructed and natural wetlands to provide three miles of public trails for recreational use, educational programs, nature study and tourism. The park coincides with the $150 million dollar Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility that simultaneously processes human sewage, generates crops and creates wildlife habitats, serving as a highly visible model for converting sewage into drinkable water.

Beginning in 2000, Johanson worked with Carollo Engineers to overlay art, public access, sewage treatment, habitat restorations, and agriculture, thus embedding major urban infrastructure within living nature.

Art, ecology, landscaping and functional infrastructure meet in Patricia Johanson's collaborative project - Petaluma Wetlands Park on display Sept. 19 through Jan. 10, 2010 at the Center for Art + Environment LAB (CA+E LAB) at the Nevada Museum of Art. The exhibition, curated by CA+E Director William L. Fox, consists of a collection of the artist's drawings, sketches, interpretive signage and photographs.

Sketch for Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility: Mouse Pond, 2004. Courtesy of Patricia Johanson

''The Center is honored to exhibit Johanson's extensive archival collection - the perfect complement to our series of art and environment projects spanning the globe,'' said William L. Fox, Director of the Center for Art + Environment. ''Focusing on the creative interactions between people and their surrounding natural, built, and virtual environments, the Center acts as a meeting place of minds for museum-goers, artists, and scholars alike.''

In conjunction with the exhibit, Patricia Johanson will visit the Museum on November 13, from noon to 12:30pm, and lead an Art Bite discussion of the project. She will guide participants through the drawings and designs that led to one of the most dynamic and functional landscape architecture projects in recent years.

For more information regarding Patricia Johanson's sweeping designs see, ''Choreographing Nature: Fair Park Lagoon'' in the March 2008 issue of LASN.