Скачать или смотреть A Confluence Convening: Tom McDonough, Opening Remarks

Tom McDonough, Professor and organizer of Topographies
Opening Remarks

The Chenango River empties into the Susquehanna River in Binghamton, NY and their confluence has been an important meeting place of peoples and cultures for at least 4000 years. In conjunction with the exhibition, the Binghamton University Art Museum hosted a half-day convening that—in the spirit of this place—addresses this setting's history, its present and its potential futures. Landscape is traditionally understood as an aesthetic term, but it encompasses geological, archeological, ecological and social justice issues as well: our perceptions of the land are inseparable, that is, from the uses to which it has been put. "A Confluence Convening,” held steps from the confluence of these two rivers, at the University Downtown Center (UDC) and in conjunction with the exhibition “Topographies: Changing Conceptions of the American Landscape” (October 8, 2021 - May 14, 2022) gathered a diverse array or local scholars and community activists to discuss how this particular American landscape has been seen and utilized, and how its past might inspire a more equitable future.