California-born artist Barbara Benish has divided her time between the U.S. and the Czech Republic since the 1980's, settling in Central Europe in 2003 as a Fulbright Professor at the Academy of Applied Art and Architecture in Prague. Her impressive body of work has resulted in numerous awards, grants and nearly 200 exhibitions around the world. Among her most stunning sculptural works are her installation pieces, which range from the powerful to the whimsical, infused with enticing mystery. Benish’s paintings and graphic work is represented in major public and private collections including the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the National Gallery in Prague, and the Stadts Museum in Nurnberg, Germany. Benish helped found the Experimental Graphics Atelier at the Academy of Art in Brno, one of the first foreign women to be invited into the Academy in that country after the changes of 1989. She has exhibited internationally for nearly 30 years, including at the Venice Biennale, Pomona Museum (USA), and P.S.1 Museum in New York. Ms. Benish has taught and lectured on art at University of California, as well as in Prague.

to be creative with things & people, and changing the context of both

ArtMill is a rural center of Culture, Sustainability, and the intersect with science and the arts, focusing on the environment. International programs at summer camp for youth, as well as university level study abroad are offered. Artist-in-Residency program runs all year, by selection. Run under the NGO umbrella, ArtDialogue, o.s. (www.art-dialogue.org). As Founding Director, I have been responsible for Program direction, budgets, curriculum, staff management and hiring, fundraising and grants, site management, translations, communications

Safe Planet Campaign works to raise awareness on hazardous chemicals and wastes in the environment. Under the auspices of the UN Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Secretariats.

Department of Art, Visual Culture and Pedagogy

COST, European Cooperation in Science and Technology, is one of the oldest scientific groups in Europe, comprised of over 70 countries. The Action has about 100 members representing 27 countries across Europe. Furthermore we have collaboration with researchers from Australia, New Zealand and Canada. We represent a wide range of disciplines from social sciences to humanistic and environmental sciences. We are in different stages in our research careers, and many of us also actively work with practitioners or participate in policy making. We have also artists in our group.Our profiles and the research interests of the members are introduced in publication Investigating Cultural Sustainability: Experts and Multidisciplinary Approaches. Investigating Cultural SustainabilityCulture can be regarded as a fundamental issue, even a precondition to be met on the path towards Sustainable Development that is necessary to get to grips with in Europe and whole world. However, the theoretical and conceptual understanding of culture within the general frames of sustainable development remains vague and consequently, the role of culture is poorly operationalised in the enviromental and social policies. The ultimate goal of the COST Action "Investigating Cultural Sustainability" is to increase understanding of and determine the role of culture in sustainable development based on multidisciplinary principles and approaches.

research and development on the SS Palo Alto Project; coordinate with the UN Safe Planet Campaign, local California NGO's and with UCSC art department

Planning and producing exhibitions and events with outreach on environmental issues surrounding the campaign's focus on hazardous chemicals and waste (United Nations Environmental Program; Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm Conventions). These events were tied to UN conferences or other international scientific meetings that prepared legal frameworks for policy. Worked with dozens of artists and scientists around the world, collaborating on film showings, panel discussions, and educational outreach events.