On March 25–26, I am participating in the pre-conference acoustic ecology workshop and overnight field trip to the Beaver Creek Biosphere Reserve, organized by the American Society for Acoustic Ecology. On March 27–29, I am honored to lead and present these panels and papers in the spectacular conference, Balance-Unbalance 2015: Water, Climate and Place, Reimagining Environments at Arizona State University (ASU).

Eco-sensing in Higher Education Curriculum

March 28, 2015 • 3:30pm Leonardson and Andrea Polli will lead a panel entitled Eco-sensing in Higher Education Curriculum. A conversation between an international group of academic practitioners and artists about the design and delivery of interdisciplinary curriculum in the arts, engineering and architecture that engages university students with listening and other forms of environmental sensing to promote creative ways to address ecological problems. Panelists will present examples and experiences using listening, field recording, sensors, data gathering, and other ways of sensing ecosystems. Panel participants are Linda Keane (AIADO, SAIC), Leah Barclay (UNESCO Biosphere Soundscapes project), Christopher Preissing (Composer), Lindsey French (Artist, SAIC), Meredith Hoy (Art History and Theory, ASU).
Stauffer B125, 950 S. Forest Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281
URL: http://sched.co/2GXa

“HOT WATER—Water, Peace & War” virtual exhibition and discussion panel. World Waterwheel at the Tap.

Sunday, March 29 • 10:30am – 12:00pm Leonardson joins a panel of international guests who discuss selected contributions of “digital postcards, poems or texts” uploaded to the Waterwheel website (water-wheel.net) on the theme of “HOT WATER—Water, Peace & War”. The call invited artists, scientists, activists, teachers and young people to contribute videos, images, animations, audio, texts or slideshows.

The virtual exhibition and panel will take place on the Tap, the videoconferencing/media-mixing system of Waterwheel. The site is accessible to anyone without the need to log in or register. Online audience can comment in the chat, and join in on the discussion.
URL: http://sched.co/2GGr

Our Sonic Playground: A Model for Active Engagement in Urban Soundscapes.

March 29, 2015 • 3:30pm  Our Sonic Playground is the name of a free, public event led by the author at the invitation of the Education Department at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Its aim was to actively engage the public in four ways, to “play, watch, share, and listen.” In this paper, the author offers the experience as a model, template, or “recipe” for future efforts that engage soundscape awareness in urban, built-environments. The role of collaboration, partnerships, and cultural institutions connected to the city’s creative, participatory culture of DIY, hacktivism, grassroots community organizing, theory and practice is emphasized, including the cross-fertilization of experimental, improvised music, audio arts, acoustic ecology and new media arts in Chicago.
Art 220, 900 S. Forest Mall Tempe, AZ 85281
URL: http://sched.co/2HyD

Support for my participation in Balance-Unbalance, in addition to my Ragdale residency, is partially supported by an 2015 Individual Artists Program Grant Award from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, as well as a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.