Art Extension

Recognizing the power of art to make abstract ideas visible & accessible, USI’s Art Extension seeks to:

  • Provide opportunities for artists and soil scientists to explore common interests and passions

  • Engender stewardship of our soil and ecology 

  • Create an interactive community of scientists, artists, educators and citizens

  • Promote soils education through fun, accessible, poetic and unexpected means

  • Connect with other stewards of the earth

Our primary vehicles are residencies, symposia, and exhibitions in the United States and abroad. Connect with us, connect with our friends and collaborators. Scroll down for pics, links and info!

2026 Residents

May 18 - October 5
Walker Tufts & Kosmologym

May 18 - May 30
Noelani Kidder

July 6 - July 19
Emilie Houssart

July 20 - August 2
Dirty Time

July 20 - August 2
Kosmologym (Greg Stewart & Walker Tufts)

August 3 - August 16
Beyond the Bedrock

August 17-August 30
Han Soros

August 31 - September 6
Celena Powell

September 14 - 27
Irja Boden

Residency Information
An artist describing an exhibit held at Swale House on Governors Island with several attendees listening
Several attendees observing an art work at Swale House on Governors Island
Residents
A screenshot of the SWALE website cover page showing programs, places with a NYC skyline backdrop

SWALE NYC

Artist Bii Robertson standing over a tombstone in a cemetary

RL Martens + Bii Robertson, Public Soil Memory for the Plantationocene

A moss covered rock surface showing the surface area detail

Flourish Lab

Heather McMordie's textile artwork laying on the ground in a marsh

Heather Mcmordie

A man shooting a basketball into a rim, with the clay artwork beneath his feet serving as the court surface

Kosmologym, Dirtball

A bus stop at Hunts Point Avenue in the Bronx displaying a poem with the words "curly dock, biter dock, curled dock, garden patience, narrow dock, yellow dock"

Lynn Cazabon, Uncultivated

A rendering of a spiral book with the title Perfect Knowledge of the Ground superimposed over it

RL Martens, Perfect Knowledge of The Ground

A large art installation by Susan Smith, on display, titled Mobile Lab

Susan Smith, Mobile Lab

A sign displaying "Please do not mow - projects in progress" placed on a lawn on Governors Island

Susan Main + MJ Neuberger, Meeting Ground

Participants observing the at a Dirty Brunch art event at Swale House

C.U.R.B., Dirty Brunch

A puppet earthworm on a branch, as part of an artwork by Alex + Olmsted

Alex + Olmstead

A large sheet of paper displaying art, placed on the wall and floor

USI’s Art Extension is directed by Margaret Boozer, Susan Smith, Rebecca Murtaugh and Walker Tufts.

AES founders: Margaret Boozer, Claire Huschle, Candace Thompson, J.J. McCracken, Siobhan Rigg, Dr. Scott Larson, RL Martens, Tessa Grundon and USI Director Tatiana Morin. Special thanks to Makalé Faber Cullen and Dr. Edward R. Landa.

Roger Carmona