OUR PRESENTER ENCOURAGE YOU TO BRING A FRAGRANT NATIVE PLANT WITH YOU TO THIS PROGRAM
With direct links to emotion and memory, our sense of smell establishes evocative relationships between people and place. Plants use scents to repel predators and aid in critical ecosystem functions like pollination. Fragrant native plants are also integral to the rich ethnobotanical heritage in the Delaware Valley. Many of the aromatic compounds plants emit, when inhaled, support human health and wellness. Located on Rowan University’s main campus in Glassboro, NJ, Westby Wilds, A Native Plant Smell Garden is dedicated to exploring the critical role of scent for people, plants and wildlife. Join us to learn about our creative methods for engaging public audiences about their sense of smell with fragrant native plants.
Jennifer Kitson, Ph.D., associate professor of Rowan University, is a cultural geographer who studies social and environmental issues through sensory and aesthetic experience. Kitson’s recent scholarship centers on olfactory geographies, considering the nexus of smell, memory and environmental change.
Donna Sweigart, associate professor and department chairperson of Rowan University, is an artist whose
research ranges from 3D modeled and printed functional object installation to large-scale
body adornment and fashion. Her current scholarship focuses on collaborative methods for engaging concepts of the body and space, including as a vehicle for revealing forgotten histories.
Aedan Rosolia is an undergraduate student at Rowan University double majoring in geography and art with a minor in music. He is currently engaged in an ecological gardening certificate from Mt. Cuba Center. Going forward, he hopes to blend art and the environment in landscape design and education.
Program Fee: $15 (Members, enter your code at checkout to receive your 20% discount.)
All lectures will be held virtually using Zoom. They will be recorded and shared with everyone who registers for a short time.
