Hands to Earth: Exploring Agriculture through Performance Art

Cherie Sampson is a visual artist and dancer who creates multi-media videos and installations focusing on ecology and agriculture. She will discuss her current project, "Hands to Earth," which explores Midwestern small-scale agriculture through filmed dance performances in fields and orchards. Her presentation includes video examples of her work as well as a performance of a short dance piece from "Hands to Earth." Sampson hopes to create a dialog about the importance of agriculture beyond agricultural science. She earned an MFA from the University of Iowa in Intermedia and Video Art, teaches at the University of Missouri, and has exhibited and performed in places such as Finland, Hong Kong, and Italy. Her fellowships and grants include two Fulbright Awards and a Change Foundation Grant.