俄亥俄州立大学景观设计学院百年庆

“我很想看看在此项目之后学院的招生盛况。真的厉害！” – 2018年评审委员会

“I’d like to see what their enrollment was after this project. What a tool!” – 2018 Awards Jury

为庆祝学院成立100周年，俄亥俄州立大学景观设计专业从2015年起发起了一个多线程的倡议，旨在围绕建造这一共同的主题，将档案资料和精心制作的新物品汇聚成册，以此来讲述专业的历史故事。倡议的结果令一个正处于转型期的群体变得更有凝聚力，同时在学院师生的热情帮助下，为了解学院的历史提供了创新性的视角。

这项倡议由四部分相互关联的内容组成。首先是在学院所在的诺尔顿大楼（Knowlton Hall）内张贴一系列带有信息的横幅；随后这些横幅将被收录到为毕业生和未来校友们准备的学院手册当中；第三部分是举办一场纪念展览，将学院100年来的学生作品进行汇总；最后一个部分则是出版一本记录学院历史的名为《试验场：俄亥俄州立大学景观设计学院100年》的书籍。书名充分展示了俄亥俄州立大学在景观专业和教学方面的领先地位：大量的创新性实践将在这片土地上得到试验和完善。

Beginning in 2015, the landscape architecture program of The Ohio State University launched a multi-part initiative to celebrate its centennial. Forming around a common theme of making, the initiative gathered archival material and crafted new objects to tell the story of the program. The result helped bring together a community in transition, and provided an innovative look at the profession’s history through the institution that has reliably represented its heart.

The initiative comprised four interwoven projects. First, a series of informational banners were installed throughout the program’s home of Knowlton Hall. These banners were translated into a brochure of infographics for alumni, prospective students, and friends of the program. An exhibition collected 100 years of the program’s student work. Finally, the program gathered its history in a book, published in 2017 as Testing Grounds: 100 Years of Landscape Architecture at The Ohio State University. The title points to a major theme for each piece: Ohio State’s position as a bellwether of the landscape profession and academy, a site where new practices are tested and perfected.

▲《试验场：俄亥俄州立大学景观设计学院100年》封面，The Book: Testing Grounds

2015年是俄亥俄州立大学景观教育史上的一个分水岭，它标志着学院已经走过了它的第100个年头。景观学院在近几年可谓经历了一系列戏剧性的转变，2004年，学院正式搬进了新建成的诺尔顿大楼，师资方面也从长期以来的资深教授团队转变为以Dorothée Imbert教授为代表的新教师团队。为了在庆祝100周年纪念的同时为整个学院社区创造共同的思考平台， 学院邀请了从名誉教授到本科生在内的众多人员参与到项目研究当中，以共同讲述学院在其第一个100年间发生的故事。

第一部分内容展示于2015年秋季。一系列横幅被展示在学院所在的诺尔顿大楼内，其中前十个横幅以十年为单位讲述了学院百年来的发展，第十一个横幅则介绍了展出作品以及学院领导人的累积时间线。这些横幅由副教授Kristi Cheramie领导，与系主任Dorothée Imbert、助理教授Jacob Boswell、执行助理教授Justin Scherma Parscher、高级讲师Karla Trott以及副教授Emerita Deborah Yale Georg共同设计。每个横幅均包含了超大尺寸的信息图表，旨在覆盖诺尔顿大楼多层中央空间的每个角落：通过将这些横幅张贴在坡道两侧的墙壁上，师生们可以在穿越大楼的同时获得连续的观看体验。横幅的大小在9’x10’至15’x22’之间不等，以多样化的尺度对学院历史进行了讲述：观者可以沿着坡道按照顺序仔细阅读，也可以单独了解不同时期的故事，或者仅从远处迅速获取大致的信息。

与此同时，在副教授Georg和学生Alex Pisha的共同策划下，项目团队还在学院的Banvard画廊内举办了名为“手绘风景”（Landscape by Hand）的展览，展出了学院前80年来的一百多张绘画作品。客座教师Thierry Beaudoin还特别设计了一个新的装置，并在Philip Arnold以及研究生团队的协助下建造：该装置为档案图纸和工具的展示提供了一个完美的框架。与此同时，每张图纸均以高清扫描文件的形式被存入学校网站。与那些横幅一样，该展览作为一个参与性的场所，不仅激发了学生和参观者的想象力，还为授课与评图等活动提供了场地。

鉴于尺寸巨大的横幅难以让游客随身携带，团队还需要以更便携的方式对计划加以补充。在副教授Kristi Cheramie的构想下，展示横幅被浓缩为一个供参观者和未来学生使用的小型手册，并在2015年召开的百年庆典活动上推出了1000份。与学院友好往来的社群在诺尔顿大楼参与了纪念仪式和展览，并宣布了以荣誉教授Larry Walquist命名的奖学金计划。执行副教授Jason Kentner和学生团队还为来宾们打造了一个氛围亲切的临时花园。Cowles和Trott共同策划的当代展览则呈现了更近期的、以数字化工具创作的学生作品。

最后，执行助理教授Justin Scherma Parscher担任了《试验场：俄亥俄州立大学景观设计学院100年》一书的编写工作，并与负责书籍设计的建筑学助教Karen Lewis合作，将1500本书籍印刷成册。

本书不作商业用途，其目的是为在校生、校友和潜在学生提供一个参与的工具，同时也可以被教师们用于学院的宣传、外交和招募活动。这本书还是学生们了解学院历史和文化的重要资源，作为一个兼具艺术性和实践意义的媒介，能够将国际化的景观设计理念与学院为俄亥俄州服务的实际使命有效地结合起来。

本书主要讲述了5个与学院现状相关的历史研究。第一章“构建文化”（Constructing Culture）聚焦于A.D.Taylor创办学院以及发展和推广景观专业的经历。新成立的景观设计学院旨在普及新的设计与表现方法以及以设计为核心的文化框架，并通过考察旅行、讲座与活动来促进传播。Taylor在模型制作和施工细节等专业性的实践领域均有开创性的成果，其对于材料测试和推广的重视也贯穿了整个学院的发展历程。

第二章“专业教学”（Teaching the Profession）关注了学院百年以来的教学方法。在学院负责人Jot Carpenter的领导下，教室团队从1970年代起开展了一项研究计划，旨在重点关注景观设计教学的优越性，将前沿的教育理论与其自身的景观学研究成果进行结合。

第三章“创作作品”（Making Work）详细讲述了学生们的作品在整个学院发展过程中的变化趋势，并按照时间线追溯了从绘图钢笔和墨水笔到彩色马克笔和大型测绘等制图方式的演进。

第四章“建立认知”着重讲述了学院的研究使命。在学院领导人Douglas Way（遥感领域专家）的带领下，学院与哥伦布市和俄亥俄州合作，就复杂的土地使用问题开展了大规模的规划和研究。Douglas Way还帮助学院启动了新的研究生课程，使广泛的学生研究成为可能，从而促进课程与行业趋势的交融，使学院在传承景观实践的传统和惯例的同时完成创新的使命。

本书的终章以“建立社区”为主题，探讨了学院应当如何与外界建立联系，并完成政府资助带来的使命。几十年以来，学院举办了多个在国际范围内反响良好的短期课程，并在Jane Amidon的倡议下，将与学院合作的众多杰出从业者的作品收录在《Source Books》系列书籍当中，受到了读者的广泛支持。此外，本章还介绍了学院通过工作坊、课程作业和服务与社区之间建立的互动。

《试验场》将历史性的叙事与学院在当下关注的事物相结合，并在其中穿插了Georg对校友和前教师团队的15次采访的摘录内容。这些对话涵盖了受访者对校园生活的回忆，以及他们在离开学校之后的具体经历。书中还以图片形式呈现了一些与学院近期活动及展览有关的内容，使读者能够大概领略到俄亥俄州在景观方面的发展态势。

作为本次计划的最后一部分内容，本书由哥伦布市著名的景观公司MKSK在2017年正式出版。MKSK由俄亥俄州立大写景观设计学院的毕业生创立，众多校友、从业者、教师、学院合作者及在校生被聚集在一起，共同致力于本书的发布的推广。除了Walquist奖学金的设立，学院还宣读了第二个奖学金计划，旨在向名誉教授Norman Booth致敬。通过本次活动，学院得以围绕哥伦布市开展更多长期性的实践，并借此机会使人们对新教师团队乃至学院的传统和发展方向形成更加深入的理解。

▲《试验场》内容目录，catalogue of contents

▲本书在记录学院发展历史的同时还介绍了学校在近期举办的活动和展览，同时摘录了一些对校友和教师的采访内容。The book includes explorations of the history of the program, recent events and programs that define the program today, and conversations between alumni and past faculty about key moments of transformation. 

▲《试验场》内页，inside pages

▲在诺尔顿大楼内张贴的横幅。The Banners: Ten Decades Of Larch @ osulloc

▲横幅：100年的专业发展，Banners: 100 Years of Degrees

▲通过将这些横幅张贴在坡道两侧的墙壁上，师生们可以在穿越大楼的同时获得连续的观看体验。Since the entire space of Knowlton Hall can be traversed through a continuous series of ramps, the banners were arranged to be viewed in sequence throughout the building on adjoining walls.

▲十个横幅以十年为单位讲述了学院百年来的发展，a series of ten banners representing each of the ten decades of the program

▲第十一个横幅介绍了展出作品以及学院领导人的累积时间线，an eleventh banner introduces the exhibit and presenting a cumulative timeline of the program’s leaders

▲学院手册：可以随身携带的历史，The Brochure: A Portable History

▲展示横幅被浓缩为一个供参观者和未来学生使用的小型手册，并在2015年召开的百年庆典活动上推出了1000份，The banners’ infographics were condensed into a handheld brochure that could be given to visitors and prospective students. 

▲在学院的Banvard画廊内举办的“手绘风景”（Landscape by Hand）展览，展出了学院前80年来的一百多张绘画作品。The exhibition Landscape By Hand presented more than one hundred drawings from the program’s first eighty years. 

▲客座教师Thierry Beaudoin设计的装置为档案图纸和工具的展示提供了一个完美的框架，the installation designed by visiting faculty Thierry Beaudoin provided a stunning framework for the display of archival drawings and tools

▲制图方式的演进，the evolution of making

▲课程现场，teaching lessons

2015 marked a watershed year in the history of landscape education at The Ohio State University, as the program marked its 100th year. The program had recently undergone a series of dramatic shifts, moving into the new Knowlton Hall in 2004 and transitioning from a long-serving group of senior faculty to new leadership under Professor Dorothée Imbert and a new faculty cohort. To mark the centennial milestone and create a common platform for reflection for the entire community around the program, a group ranging from emeritus faculty to current undergraduates were convened to study and represent the story of the first hundred years.

The first element appeared in the fall of 2015, a series of ten banners representing each of the ten decades of the program along with an eleventh banner introducing the exhibit and presenting a cumulative timeline of the program’s leaders. Designed by Associate Professor Kristi Cheramie with contributions by Imbert, Assistant Professor Jacob Boswell, Assistant Professor of Practice Justin Scherma Parscher, Senior Lecturer Karla Trott, and Associate Professor Emerita Deborah Yale Georg, each banner combined super-sized informational graphics meant to reach throughout Knowlton Hall’s multi-story central space. Since the entire space of Knowlton Hall can be traversed through a continuous series of ramps, the banners were arranged to be viewed in sequence throughout the building on adjoining walls. Banners varied in size depending on the size of their niche, from 9’x10′ to 15’x22′. The banners aimed to tell stories at multiple scales: to be read closely and in sequence while walking the ramps, to be read as discrete stories about key program leaders, or to be viewed from afar as a series of thematic snapshots into the program.

At the same time, the group worked on the creation of the exhibit Landscape by Hand, showcased in the school’s Banvard Gallery. The exhibition, curated by Georg and graduate student Alex Pisha presented more than one hundred drawings from the program’s first eighty years. The installation, designed by visiting faculty Thierry Beaudoin and built with the assistance of Philip Arnold and a team of graduate students provided a stunning framework for the display of archival drawings and tools. In turn, high-quality scans and metadata for each image were incorporated in the school website. As with the banners, the exhibit served as a venue to engage visitors and to fire the imagination of current students, with classes and reviews held within the space.

Knowing that the immersive format of the banners would be difficult for visitors to take away with them, the group needed a more portable supplement. Cheramie condensed the banners’ infographics into a handheld brochure that could be given to visitors and prospective students. A print run of 1,000 was ready for a special launch event in 2015, where a community of friends of the program convened at Knowlton Hall to celebrate the centennial, see the collected exhibits, and honor Professor Emeritus Larry Walquist with the announcement of a new endowed scholarship in his name. Visitors were greeted by a temporary garden created by Associate Professor of Practice Jason Kentner with a team of student fabricators, along with a more contemporary exhibit brought together by Cowles and Trott presenting more recent student work produced through digital means.

Finally, Assistant Professor of Practice Justin Scherma Parscher wrote Testing Grounds: 100 Years of Landscape Architecture at The Ohio State University, with a foreword by Imbert. Parscher worked with Associate Professor of Architecture Karen Lewis, who designed the book and managed its production in a print run of 1,500. The work, not commercially available, is meant to be a vehicle for engagement with alumni, friends of the program, and potential students, and can accompany faculty to outreach and recruitment events. It is also a resource for current students to become acquainted with the program’s history and philosophy as a a middle way between artistic excellence and engaged practice, reconciling a cosmopolitan view of landscape creativity with the practical land grant mission of service to Ohio.

The book’s main narrative is divided into five historical studies that trace the program to the present. The first chapter, “Constructing Culture,” focuses on the creation of the program by Ohio practitioner A.D. Taylor as a means to spread the young profession of landscape architecture. To do this, the young program disseminated not only conventions of design and representation, but also the cultural framework around design, transmitted through study tours, lecture series, and activity clubs. Taylor was a key innovator in areas of professional practice from model-making to construction detailing, and his emphasis on testing and broadcasting material practices carries throughout the history of the program.

Accordingly, “Teaching the Profession,” the second chapter, focuses on approaches to education throughout the hundred years. Under program head Jot Carpenter, from the 1970s on the faculty launched a research program explicitly focused on excellence in landscape architecture education, synthesizing vanguard educational theory with their own findings on the particulars of landscape study.

The third chapter, “Making Work,” specifically details changing currents in student work throughout the program’s history. The chapter traces the evolution of making throughout the program’s time, from ruling pens and ink washes to Prismacolor markers and large-scale plotting.

“Establishing Knowledge,” the fourth chapter, focuses on the research mission of the program. Under program head Douglas Way, an expert in the use of remote sensing, the program conducted research on large-scale planning, consulting with the city of Columbus and the state of Ohio on complex land use problems. Way helped the program launch a Masters program, making possible a broad range of student research that continued the program’s engagement with currents in the profession, particularly carrying on the mission to innovate in and study the traditions and conventions of landscape practice.

The book concludes with “Building a Community,” which explores how the program has made connections with the world outside the academy, seizing on the university’s land grant mission. For decades, the program hosted the internationally popular Short Courses in Roadside Development, and under Jane Amidon, the program reached a similarly broad audience through the Source Books series documenting the work of the Glimcher fellows, prominent practitioners invited yearly to collaborate with the program. The final chapter also explores the program’s engagement with the community through studios, course work, and service.

Testing Grounds alternates this historical narrative with elements concentrating on the present day. It incorporates extracts from a series of fifteen interviews with alumni and past faculty conducted by Georg. These interviews share reminiscences of life in the program and detail how these community members have carried forth the lessons of their time at Ohio State. The book also incorporates visual essays on recent events and exhibits offered by the program, giving a glimpse of where landscape architecture at Ohio State is heading.

As the final stage of the event, the book was officially launched in 2017 at the offices of MKSK, the prominent Columbus landscape firm founded by graduates of the program. A group of alumni, practitioners, faculty, current students, and friends gathered to launch the book. As a bookend to the announcement of the Walquist scholarship, the program also marked an announcement of a second scholarship in honor of Professor Emeritus Norman Booth. This occasion formed an opportunity for the long-standing practice community around Columbus to get to know a new cohort of faculty, and for all to embark with a common understanding of the program’s heritage and direction.