Celebrating Aldo Leopold Week 2024: Embracing the Land Ethic

As the first signs of spring emerge, we gather to honor the legacy of Aldo Leopold, a renowned conservationist, ecologist, author and professor who is considered the “father of wildlife ecology” and a Wisconsin hero. Leopold’s profound insights continue to shape our understanding of the natural world and inspire stewardship. To honor Leopold’s legacy and his contributions to Wisconsin, Overture Center is proud to host one of many events from Leopold Week 2024. This year’s theme is “natural, wild and free,” and it invites us to explore the beauty, diversity and complexity of the natural world and our relationship with it.

Leopold Week 2024 is a week-long celebration of Leopold’s work and vision, featuring a captivating virtual speaker series on various topics. You can join these events online from March 1-8, and learn more about Leopold’s philosophy, science and art.

Overture Center will host a special in-person program, “Drawing a Land Ethic,” in Overture Galleries on Saturday, March 2. This program will be a unique opportunity to see the work of Max Sorenson, a visiting artist from the Aldo Leopold Foundation, who creates stunning charcoal drawings inspired by Leopold’s writings and experiences with prescribed fire.

Prescribed fire is a technique used by land managers to restore and maintain healthy ecosystems by reducing invasive plants, enhancing wildlife habitat and preventing wildfires. Leopold was one of the pioneers of prescribed fire in Wisconsin, and he used it as a tool to improve his own land, the Sand County Farm, located near Baraboo, Wis.

“Max Sorenson has created work that is so visually compelling, but also so relevant to conservation efforts. His work is the perfect reflection on prescribed burns and how the seeming ‘destruction’ is also an opportunity for new growth,” says Megan Landon, Overture’s galleries assistant.

Each piece of Sorenson’s art has a special detail with a twist: each piece’s title starts with “Rx,” otherwise known as the symbol for prescription in medicine.

“I love that each of his piece’s titles start with “Rx” in reference to a prescribed burn, a play on how essential these can be for the environment, as important as medicine is to us,” Landon adds.

Additionally, Sorenson’s art invites us to see the land in a new light, and to appreciate the role of fire in shaping and renewing it. His art is a tribute to Leopold’s land ethic, which calls for a respectful and responsible relationship with the land and all its inhabitants.

“The visual movement of the pieces makes such simple elements (paper and charcoal) seem so dynamic and even emotional,” says Landon.

To see Sorenson’s art in person, join us for “Drawing a Land Ethic” on Saturday, March 2 from 3-6 p.m. You will hear from Sorenson himself, as well as Leopold Foundation Executive Director Buddy Huffaker, on the land ethic, prescribed fire and communal land stewardship. Registration is required to attend in-person. This event will also be live streamed for those unable to attend in person. 

We hope you will join us for Leopold Week 2024 and celebrate the life and legacy of Aldo Leopold. Leopold Week 2024 is a great opportunity to learn more about Leopold’s work and vision, and to connect with others who share his passion and values. We also invite you to join us in taking steps to care for the land and its inhabitants, whether it is by planting a tree, volunteering for a conservation project, reducing your ecological footprint or supporting a local environmental organization Together, we can embrace the land ethic and make a positive difference for the land and all its inhabitants.

For more information and the full list of events, visit: aldoleopold.org.

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