AIC's 53rd Annual Meeting

In 2004, construction was completed on Kraus Campo, a large-scale outdoor art installation functioning as a green roof and sculpture garden on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Consisting of over 2,000 individual plants and over 1,000 feet of painted concrete pathways that converge upon a 25” x 60” x 3” tiled interactive sculpture in the form of a large French Curve, the garden is a collaborative work by the artist Mel Bochner and Landscape Architect Michael Van Valkenburgh. Conceived as a single integrated work combining art and landscape design, the diverse materials and components of the living artwork has required the care and input from a wide variety of specialists and contractors to maintain it over the past 20 years.  

 A critical moment was encountered in 2023 when one of the primary plants of the artwork was classified as an invasive species in Pennsylvania. The conversations that ensued triggered an in-depth revisiting of the meaning and importance of the work as a whole, and resulted in the development of a comprehensive Conservation Management Plan that would look beyond the seasonal, routine maintenance requirements to the long-term considerations of an artwork that literally grows and evolves over time. To create this document, the Preservation team at UAP (Urban Art Projects) collaborated with the artists, collecting institution, donor and the individuals on the CMU facilities maintenance team by conducting interviews, reviewing archives, and capturing the stories from those who were present throughout the artwork’s creation and life up to the present. The process raised critical questions about differing perspectives, transference of knowledge, and resulted in a proposal for a full reset and replanting of the garden. This project explores the importance of collaboration in revising, reviewing, and updating living artworks while considering the priorities and resources of those charged with its care.