Domestic Rewilding is a series of earthworks throughout the midwestern United States. Often taking form as a garden, the earthworks consist of pollinator/native plant species and eco-conscious aesthetic elements. Framed through the lens of socially engaged art and principles of ecofeminism, each work is fabricated, maintained, and activated through collaborative interspecies labor: from a team of oxen hauling materials, human hands planting beneficial species, to the labor of pollinator insects maintaining the site. Each iteration utilizes directed and open-ended forms of eco-participation by human, plant, animal, and insect. The project carries an overarching goal to point towards the interconnectedness of nonhuman and human worlds and the capacity of art to push violent histories up against one another in unconventional ways.
The flagship iteration, located on the public grounds of the Illinois State University Horticulture Center,
is situated as a living land acknowledgement.
We will be holding a public Field Day Event in April 2025, as part of the SARE Partnership Program grant.
Please sign up for emails on the Contact page to be notified about this exciting happening!
The flagship iteration, located on the public grounds of the Illinois State University Horticulture Center,
is situated as a living land acknowledgement.
We will be holding a public Field Day Event in April 2025, as part of the SARE Partnership Program grant.
Please sign up for emails on the Contact page to be notified about this exciting happening!
digital mockup of ISU Horticulture Center site (ongoing) by Kitty Davies, graduate assistant
Projects are currently underway/growing in:
Steuben, Wisconsin (Commissioned through 4Ground Land Art Biennial)
Normal, Illinois (Illinois State University Horticulture Center; in collaboration with Dr. Shannon Epplett)
Street Road Artists' Space, Cochranville, PA
If your organization is interested in hosting, funding, or collaborating on a site-specific iteration of Domestic Rewilding,
please contact artist Ruth Burke
Steuben, Wisconsin (Commissioned through 4Ground Land Art Biennial)
Normal, Illinois (Illinois State University Horticulture Center; in collaboration with Dr. Shannon Epplett)
Street Road Artists' Space, Cochranville, PA
If your organization is interested in hosting, funding, or collaborating on a site-specific iteration of Domestic Rewilding,
please contact artist Ruth Burke