“What do you see? How does it make you feel?” asked Paul Wetzel, Curriculum and Research Administrator, Center for the Environment, Ecological Design, and Sustainability (CEEDS). The waterfall at Paradise Pond was the first viewpoint on Paul’s guided tour of the Mill River, organized in conjunction with the exhibition Maya Lin: Mappings. Participants considered Paul’s questions as they looked out over the waterfall, across the Mill River, to the athletic fields and trees beyond. Responses highlight the different perspectives of the intergenerational group:

• Peaceful and calm
• Feels a little artificial
• Water makes you feel calm
• Delight at the layers of colors
• See past and present at the same time
• Power of nature
• Loud but quiet
• Resting place: slope that breaks after tumbling down
• Place of transition: slow and lazy above, active below
• Power and energy
• I see a river constrained (Paul after everyone else had spoken)

Paul’s theme for the interactive discovery walk was the psychology of landscape, inspired by a quotation from Maya Lin. “Each of my works originates from a simple desire to make people aware of their surroundings, not just the physical world but also the psychological world we live in.”  At each stopping point along the lively ninety-minute walking tour, Paul introduced new ways of looking at the immediate surroundings. He led the conversation with questions and observations, then shared maps, historical photos and interdisciplinary perspectives on why and how the riverscape changes over time.  

“Control and command” is the phrase Paul used to describe an approach to water management visible in the levees, dams, former mill sites, floodwalls and floodgates along the Mill River. Standing on the levee across from the site of the former Maynard Hoe Factory, Paul asked, “Why was there so much flooding in Northampton?” Encouraging people to think about what was going on upstream, he revealed through photos and historical records the story of potash, and how it played a major role in the deforestation of New England. Located at the bottom of the Mill River watershed, Northampton was more vulnerable to flooding as a result of deforestation upstream. 

Curious about the history of flood management, participants followed the Mill River downstream on the lookout for evidence. “You get to see a cross section of the levee!” Paul exclaimed, pointing out flood barrier supports in the wall. Leading the way behind the former Felt Building, Paul brought the group to a bridge overlooking the 1940 diversion of the Mill River by the Army Corps of Engineers. It was an “aha” moment for many in the group who saw and understood the history of this turn in the river for the first time.

Everyone left the walk  brimming with new ideas and questions about past, present and future interactions between people and their river environments. Gina Hall, Museum Educator for School & Family Programs, captured the spirit of the afternoon perfectly. Her 13-year old described the tour as “very fun,” and she reflected, “It was a fantastic connection, truly in the spirit of Maya Lin’s work, and a lovely example of an intergenerational program with something for everyone.”

If you’re interested in learning more about the Mill River from Paradise Pond to South Street, download the walking tour map brochure.

Written by Carol Berner, April 5, 2022.

Twenty teachers gathered after school in early March for a private tour of the Maya Lin: Mappings exhibition at the Smith College Museum of Art. The tour was led by Aprile Gallant, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs and Senior Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs. Gina Hall, Educator for School and Family Programs, and Carol Berner, Department of Education and Child Study, organized the event for Mill River educators to view the exhibition and explore connections to their students. Participants included teachers from six schools (pre-k through college); arts educators; community-based tutors and mentors; an eco-psychologist; and a graduate student in engineering. Everyone seemed excited to come together in person to experience the artwork, learn about Maya Lin and explore new directions for teaching and learning about climate change. 

“Inspired and Captivated”

Aprile guided the group through the gallery with intriguing details about Maya Lin’s background, vision and creative processes. Looking closely at  the pin river map of the Connecticut River, teachers were bursting with questions for Aprile, from “How was the piece installed?” to “Where are we on the map?” Aprile’s insightful interpretation energized participants’ interactions with the artworks. One teacher reflected about the afternoon: “I left feeling inspired by the provocation and captivated by the beauty of the exhibit itself, and also by how it remains with me as I encounter new maps and as I respond with new eyes to the familiar landscape around me.”

How might we bring this work to our students?

After the tour, teachers gathered in a circle in the gallery to share ideas for engaging students. The dialogue reflected participants’ wide-ranging contexts and interests. As teachers built on each other’s ideas, the list of possibilities for student interactions with the work kept expanding in different directions:

• Make pin river maps with toothpicks in the snow
• Create wax-covered maps of the Mill River pre-and post 1874 flood
• Bring students to the exhibition (yes the museum is open for school visits, contact Gina Hall) 
• Conduct oral interviews of Mill River memories inspired by Maya Lin’s What is Missing?
• Make identity maps as a way to explore social justice and social-emotional learning
• Design an interdisciplinary “mapmaking” project-based unit for high school students 
• “What if every child created a map of the same place every year, and they were collected over time, so each child could see/reflect on how their perception of place changes over time?”

“What a wonderful experience you provided for all of us yesterday afternoon!”

Image: 2° | 4°, 2018 Encaustic, bond paper, ink, adhesive. Photo credit: Kris Graves, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Many thanks to Gina Hall and Aprile Gallant for inviting the Mill River educators to enjoy a special tour of the exhibition and a rich discussion of possibilities for educators. Be sure to check out the Resources for Teachers compiled by Gina, with relevant videos, links, articles and lesson plans. Please share your activities or teaching ideas inspired by the exhibit (use the comments below or email Carol) and stay tuned for follow-up events this spring sponsored by RIVER (River Inquiry via Exploration of our Region). 

 Written by Carol Berner. Photography by Gina Hall. 

Fund Drive to Link the Mill River to Broad Brook