When most people think about working with the environment, images of scientists performing research or citizens protesting come to mind. Maybe some people even think about legislators lobbying to pass bills and allocate money for protection, but most people don’t picture an artist. Still, Don Albrecht, assistant professor of art at Northland College, is an Eco-Visionary. He is working with the environment as both an artist and an educator.

As an artist, Albrecht incorporates a wide variety of influences into his work including many ideas about place and the environment. Living in Ashland, Wis. he often pulls inspiration from nearby Lake Superior, but he also contends that art should be about more than just our physical surroundings.

“For me, art is not just about the external world — beautiful as that often is — but also about our attitudes and behaviors within the world around us,” says Albrecht. “That includes our home environments, our communities, our region, nature on a broad scale, and, ultimately, how what we do affects the planet.”

Albrecht’s concern for the environment extends beyond his subject matter to influence the ways in which he creates art as well. He is constantly changing and adapting the processes he uses to reduce the environmental impact of his work. Primarily a photographer, his creative process often involves the use of several chemicals. In addition to reducing the amounts of chemicals he uses and reusing or recycling those chemicals whenever possible, Albrecht is also constantly on the look out for alternatives. He is currently exploring options for film-developers that are more environmentally friendly than their conventional counterparts.

After working with these issues in developing his own portfolio of work, Albrecht brings his unique knowledge and skill to his role as an educator. Using his own experience with the environment and art he is helping to guide others in their explorations of both. “I know that all education is environmental,” he says, “so we need to continually find different ways of visualizing what that means in our lives.”

One new way that Albrecht is reaching students is through a recently developed program at Northland College. In addition to his studio art courses, he is currently working with students in the Superior Connections Program to find the many connections between Lake Superior, the environment and art. During the fall of 2007 he will be teaching “Creative Expressions in the Watershed,” a hands-on introduction to visual and performing arts in the Lake Superior Basin. The goal of the course is to have students explore general concepts about the arts from the inside. Students will create some experimental and creative work, study great artists of the region, and look at work inspired directly by the presence of the great lake.

“Consciously or not, Lake Superior is a focal point in the lives of everyone who lives, works, studies, or travels by its shores,” says Albrecht. “Its wonders are our wonders, and exploring the great themes of art inspired by this direct contact— especially when such investigations are integrated with other disciplinary studies like geology, religion, or natural resources— demonstrates how real-world connections come from the lake, and also from us as human beings.”