Continuing the legacy of the Divine Disorder Conference series, the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, Kohler Foundation Inc., and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center have joined together to present The Road Less Traveled Conference, September 27–29 at the Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wis.

The three-day event will delve into the complex subject of artist-built environments with perspectives from all corners of the field. Scholars, artists, preservationists, educators, activists, curators, collectors, and devotees will deliberate, debate, and discuss the ways to enrich the collective understanding of the artists’ practices and the preservation of these monumental constructions.

Programming, presentations and conversations will focus on issues that span the continuum from art environments remaining in situ to environment components no longer in place. Session topics will include the curation of art environments in the gallery space, current research and conservation methods, art practices and contemporary responses, collaborative preservation, site stewardship, and community relations required for keeping sites in place and relevant.

Featuring luminaries in the field and emerging creative professionals, each session promises to engage attendees from all backgrounds and explore new concepts related to this unique style of art making. Moreover, with freshly conserved sites such Eddie Owens Martin’s Pasaquan in Georgia, and new projects on the horizon, these conversations will be influencing factors in the way this artwork is thought about and cared for moving forward.  

To amplify the discussion sessions, a variety of special events and performances are planned to offer different avenues of thought and experience. Sound artist Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe will be performing an impromptu piece specific to Emery Blagdon’s Healing Machine. The acclaimed podcast host of Benjamen Walker’s Theory of Everything will provide insights into his rambling road trip through art environments in Wisconsin. And programmed social events and meals will be used as an opportunity to bring people together in a casual but meaningful way for a creative exchange of views and ideas.

The conference will also extend to locations outside the John Michael Kohler Arts Center walls. Off-site events and excursions will include a hands-on conservation demonstration at the James Tellen Woodland Sculpture Park.

For registration and additional information, visit jmkac.org/conference or call 920-458-6144. 

The Road Less Traveled Conference is an NCPTT Divine Disorder Conference and partnership of the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, Kohler Foundation, Inc. and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.