The Language of Conservation

The Language of Conservation is a collaborative art project initiated by The Poets House of NYC and made possible by a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museums and Library Services.  Partnerships between zoos and libraries in five cities—Milwaukee, Chicago (Brookfield Zoo), Little Rock, New Orleans, and Jacksonville— participated in the three-year project. 

Pattiann Rogers was Poet-in-Residence at the Milwaukee County Zoo.  The Milwaukee Public Library was a collaborative partner in various aspects of the project.

Her primary role as Poet-in-Residence was to select poems and excerpts from poems to be designed and installed permanently throughout the Zoo.  She worked closely with Marcia Sinner, Head of the Creative Department at the Zoo, and her co-worker Julie Radcliffe, who together designed each unique sign.  She was also consulted as to the location of each sign.  At the opening event and ribbon cutting, June 19th, 2010, all 54 installed signs were open to the public.

As Poet-in-Residence, Rogers has been giving interviews and readings centering on the Language of Conservation, both at the Milwaukee Public Library and the Zoo.  The Zoo and the Libary are also co-ordinating various events and activities.

Rogers has stated the following:

• My aims in selecting poems for the Language of Conservation signs in the Milwaukee County Zoo were to find memorable lines within a poem that were complete in themselves, easily accessible, contained all the rich language and strong qualities of the best poetry, offered new perspectives on the variety of the lives and lands of the earth, and respected and celebrated those lives and lands.  I also attempted to have many different voices from many countries, races, and ages represented.
• What I particularly like about this project is the collaboration between poetry and the visual arts.  The words of the poetry, the design of the sign and its location work together to evoke the experience of the art.  In addition, this art is primarily outside and tangible, on and of the earth, affected by sun and shadow, the time of day, the wind and the weather, snow and frost, the falling of a leaf, the cry of a bird, the shouts of a child.  The experience will constantly vary with all of these elements.