Art Extension

Soils Building Health Companion Exhibition

October 17 - Swale House, Governors Island

We are excited to host a pop up exhibition at Swale House on Governors Island for Saturday, October 17, 2026 in conjunction with our 11th Annual Symposium!

Soils are foundational to life on earth. USI's 2026 symposium, Soils Building Health, will consider soil-based ecological systems in urban environments as they relate to remediation, agriculture, and microbiomes supporting urban soils, ourselves and communities. Please review the information below before applying to the exhibition, proposals are due September 10th. notification will be by September 20th. Direct questions to both Walker Tufts (walker@camplittlehope.com) and Rebecca Murtaugh (rebeccamurtaugh@gmail.com).

Submit Your Proposal
Symposium Webpage

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
NYCityPlanting

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