Cultural Landscape Foundation

THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE FOUNDATION (TCLF) CONNECTS PEOPLE TO PLACES. TCLF EDUCATES AND ENGAGES THE PUBLIC TO MAKE OUR SHARED LANDSCAPE HERITAGE MORE VISIBLE, IDENTIFY ITS VALUE, AND EMPOWER ITS STEWARDS. TCLF ACHIEVES THIS MISSION THROUGH THE ONGOING DEVELOPMENT OF ITS THREE CORE PROGRAMS: WHAT'S OUT THERE, PIONEERS OF AMERICAN LANDSCAPE DESIGN, AND LANDSLIDE.

LANDSLIDE: THE GOAL OF THE LANDSLIDE PROGRAM IS TO DRAW IMMEDIATE AND LASTING ATTENTION TO THREATENED LANDSCAPES AND UNIQUE FEATURES. THE PROGRAM SPARKS DEBATE, REVEALS THE VALUE OF EVERYDAY PLACES, AND ENCOURAGES INFORMED COMMUNITY-BASED STEWARDSHIP DECISIONS AS IT HIGHLIGHTS AND MONITORS AT-RISK LANDSCAPES AND CREATES ANNUAL THEMATIC LISTINGS TO SAVE THIS HERITAGE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. THROUGH WEB-BASED NEWS STORIES, TRAVELING EXHIBITIONS, AND PRINT PUBLICATIONS, LANDSLIDE REVEALS THE VALUE OF THESE OFTEN-FORGOTTEN LANDSCAPES. EACH YEAR TCLF CREATES AN ANNUAL REPORT ABOUT THREATENED AND AT-RISK SITES; SOME WELL-KNOWN, OTHERS OBSCURE. TO BRING ATTENTION TO THESE SIGNIFICANT PLACES, TCLF CREATES RICHLY ILLUSTRATED ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITIONS WITH NARRATIVE HISTORIES OF EACH SITE, THE NATURE OF THE THREAT, AND CRITICAL INFORMATION FOR LEARNING MORE AND GETTING INVOLVED. FOUR RECENT ANNUAL LANDSLIDES INCLUDED PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITIONS, ALL BOOKED INTO 2019: THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE LEGACY OF DAN KILEY; THE NEW AMERICAN GARDEN: THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE OF OEHME, VAN SWEDEN; AND THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE OF LAWRENCE HALPRIN.

PIONEERS OF AMERICAN LANDSCAPE DESIGN, AN IN-DEPTH MULTIMEDIA LIBRARY, INCLUDES THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED ESSAYS AND VIDEO ORAL HISTORIES CHRONICLING THE LIVES OF SIGNIFICANT LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS AND EDUCATORS. PIONEERS HAVE INCLUDED LUMINARIES LIKE CORNELIA HAHN OBERLANDER, LAWRENCE HALPRIN, LAURIE OLIN, HARRIET PATTISON, AND M. PAUL FRIEDBERG.

WHAT'S OUT THERE (WOT): THE GOAL OF THIS SEARCHABLE, EASY-TO-NAVIGATE DATABASE IS TO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE RICH DIVERSITY AND INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF OUR SHARED DESIGNED LANDSCAPE HERITAGE. SPANNING OVER TWO CENTURIES OF AMERICAN LANDSCAPE DESIGN, THE WHAT'S OUT THERE DATABASE IS SEARCHABLE BY LANDSCAPE NAME, LOCALE, DESIGNER, TYPE, AND SYTLE. IT HAS OVER 2,000 ENTRIES SO FAR WITH CONTENT CREATED BY ACADEMICS, VOLUNTEERS, AND ADVOCATES, AND HAS BEEN VETTED OVER THE PAST DECADE BY DOZENS OF RESEARCHERS AND HISTORIANS. WE CREATED WHAT'S OUT THERE TO SERVE AS A REFERENCE FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS OF DESIGN AND HISTORY, ENTHUSIASTS, AND PROFESSIONALS, PROVOKING INTEREST, INFORMING STEWARDSHIP DECISIONS, AND ENRICHING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF OUR DESIGNED LANDSCAPE HISTORY. AN EXTENSION OF THE WHAT'S OUT THERE DATABASE, WHAT'S OUT THERE WEEKEND DRAWS PEOPLE OUT INTO THEIR COMMUNITIES TO EXPERIENCE FIRST-HAND THE LANDSCAPES THAT THEY SEE EVERY DAY BUT OFTEN OVERLOOK. HOSTED IN DIFFERENT CITIES EVERY YEAR, WHAT'S OUT THERE WEEKEND BRINGS TO LIGHT THE UNIQUE LANDSCAPE LEGACY AND LOCAL CHARACTER OF EACH CITY, DEFINED BY ITS PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE PARKS, GARDENS, PLAZAS, CEMETERIES, MEMORIALS, AND NEIGHBORHOODS. FREE, EXPERT-LED WEEKEND TOURS OF 25 TO 30 SITES.

THE CORNELIA HAHN OBERLANDER INTERNATIONAL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PRIZE, ANNOUNCED IN 2019, IS THE FIRST AND ONLY PRIZE TO INCLUDE A US$100,000 MONETARY AWARD. CONFERRED BIENNIALLY BEGINNING IN 2021, THE OBERLANDER PRIZE WILL ALSO FEATURE TWO YEARS OF RELATED PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES TO HONOR A LIVING PRACTITIONER, COLLABORATIVE, OR TEAM FOR THEIR CREATIVE, COURAGEOUS, AND VISIONARY WORK IN THE FIELD OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE.