One of the leading figures to emerge in Woody Wheeler’s book Look Up! is a man by the name of Jens Jensen. The productive career of this landscape architect in the first half of the 20th century was instrumental in bringing native plant landscaping to the forefront of national parks, urban designs and private estates across North America. His legacy as one of the earliest environmental stewards is immortalized in the award-winning documentary, Living Green, but perhaps most formidable is his founding of The Clearing Folk School.
Jens Jensen also happens to be the great grandfather of our best-selling author; on Wednesday, May 27th, Mr. Wheeler will be at The Clearing for a book reading and signing. Influence Publishing spoke with the author briefly, to learn more about the meaning behind the event and the man behind the legacy.
What inspired the creation and founding of the Clearing Folk School?
It was my Great grandfathers dream, a place where you could teach landscape architecture and connect with the environment. The Clearing was a place for younger generations to find value in our every day landscapes, as indicated in William H. Tishler’s compilation, Jens Jensen Writings Inspired By Nature:
Later that year (1934) his wife, Anna Marie, passed away and several months later Kenneth Jensen Wheeler, Jensen’s talented grandson and the heir apparent to his practice, died. In addition to these personal tragedies Jensen had become increasingly disillusioned with cities and city life. Thus, he closed his studio at Ravinia and moved to rural Ellison Bay in Door County, Wisconsin, to realize his lifelong dream of starting what he called a ‘school of the soil.’ His starting this school, The Clearing, can be seen as mirroring the reasons for the creation of folk schools in Denmark…Jensen wished to teach young people to appreciate their own native landscapes…
Why do you think teaching is such an important aspect of you and your grandfather’s career?
I like to think that I’m fueling the fire; the first step [to conservation] is awareness and appreciation—the science alone doesn’t seem to move people—especially lately. You’ve got to love it to care about it. That’s what it boils down to—you need to inspire people by not just owning land but taking a stake in conservation. People who care conserve. Places like The Clearing give ideas on how it can be done, and help us realize that nature is really a sacred place. Contributing to the awareness—that’s the role I think I’m best at.
The English Garden totally reinvented the functional concept of a garden space in the 1700′s—the idea of walking through a garden and coming across a hidden surprise, or natural wonders was to an invoke a deeper interaction between nature and the wanderer. What ideas did your grandfather put forth in his designs?
His signature element was recreating landscapes native to America, such as the Mid-Western prairie. He had this ability to create spaces that made it feel like it was going on forever, a kind of visual trick. He was also great at creating a sense of spaciousness, with open areas surrounded by native trees and layers of native shrubs. He had locally sourced stonework to create council rings, which were used to sit and tell stories, sing songs, and have a space for people to get together in a natural setting. In larger projects, like Columbus Park in Chicago, he recreated prairie streams and waterfalls; for one of the laborers creating the rock work, he had him listen to a Mendelssohn symphony to help capture the movement of the water through the stone!
To quote Robert E. Grese in his book, Jens Jensen Maker of Natural Parks and Gardens:
For Jensen, conservation was a logical extension of his design work. Through his design work, he hoped to instill a deeper appreciation for nature that would lead people to protect whatever vestiges of wild nature remained. Jensen belonged to a number of conservation organizations, and he himself organized two groups to support his conservation projects: the Prairie Club and the Friends of our Native Landscape. A genuine sense of stewardship permeated Jensen’s outlook on life, and he sought to translate his convictions into positive action.
Vancouver is one of the 15 most livable cities in the world based on socio-economic conditions —I’ve always wondered how much of it had to do with the surrounding natural environment? Australia, Canada, Japan and Nordic cities are always at the top of these lists…what are these cities doing right? How much of an impact do you think natural landscapes have in an urban space?
A tremendous impact—its one of the best strategies, I think, for economic development. Sometimes it’s hard for people to understand that connection—since they’ve fixed up Chicago’s waterfront, it’s become a showcase and brought in so many additional industries. Here in Seattle one thing we’ve been working on is getting rid of a viaduct , to provide open views of Puget Sound and the Olympic mountains, and create much improved public access to our scenic waterfront.
For more on the revitalization of Chicago’s waterfront and the “historic dream team” behind the vision, read Wheeler’s essay,” Burnham, Daley, and Ward” in Chapter 5 of Look Up!.
Your book is dedicated to your great grandfather; what are some of the important lessons you took away from this man, be it as your great grandfather or his legacy as an environmental activist?
His persistent voice and belief in conservation even in the face of tremendous political backlash and ignorance. He never backed down— he was strong, fiery—he did it by organizing people, by educating, by planting landscapes. He made it his life.
A second lesson I admire was his perseverance. He was ahead of his times, a lonely man in his profession, and he didn’t cave, even in the face of political corruption. He was persuasive, charismatic, and really good with words.
Lastly, it was his belief that everyone deserves to be in nature; he built landscapes not just in rich places, but parks in inter-city Chicago for everyone to enjoy. I am proud to say I have helped establish nature centers like the Seward Park Audubon Center in Seattle, where everyone can access and explore natural wonders.
For a deeper understanding of Jens Jensen and his great grand-son, Woody Wheeler, be sure to attend the one-of-kind event at The Clearing on May 27th. For more information contact Influence Publishing at media@influencepublishing; 604-980-5700 or the author directly at woody.wheeler@gmail.com. We also recommend reading the essay, ”Happy 150th Jens Jensen” from Chapter 4 of Look Up! for the author’s personal tribute to his great grandfather.
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