NYU Deutsches Haus will present a panel discussion exploring the politics of the urban garden, past and present, in American, German, and Austrian contexts.
Cities have long been vilified as unhealthy, crime-infested, and chaotic – or, as Thomas Jefferson once described them, “pestilential to the morals, the health and the liberties of man.” Parklands and gardens, green-spaces and fire-escape flower beds are viewed as mitigators of urban malaise, making livable and attractive the “unnatural” environments of cities. Yet gardens are not neutral territories. They advance political agendas and critique others. They can be sites of resistance, as well as tools of social control.
On Tuesday, May 5, at 6:30 p.m., Deutsches Haus at NYU presents a panel discussion that will explore the politics of the urban garden, past and present, in American, German, and Austrian contexts. It accompanies the Deutsches Haus exhibi, "Urban Agriculture and Modern Housing in Austria: Health, Food, and Labor in the Cooperative Settlement, 1903-1933," curated by Sophie Hochhäusl, which will be on view through May 10.
Please note: The reception will start at 6:30 p.m.; the panel will start at 7:00 p.m. Deutsches Haus is located at 42 Washington Mews, New York, N.Y. (212.998.8660.)
Panelists:
Sophie Hochhäusl, History of Architecture and Urbanism, Cornell University
Andrew Newman, Assistant Professor, Anthropology, Wayne State University
William LoSasso, Executive Director, La Plaza Cultural Community Garden
Hillary Angelo, Sociology, NYU (moderator)
At the Grassroots: Urban Gardening as Politics is a DAAD-sponsored event and is also co-sponsored by the Urban Democracy Lab.
Events at Deutsches Haus are free of charge. If you would like to attend this event, please send us an email to deutscheshaus.rsvp@nyu.edu. Space at Deutsches Haus is limited; please arrive 10 minutes prior to the start time.