Reciprocity: On the Co-Evolution of Seeds, Plants, and People

Cultivating seeds is an ancient cultural practice based on the reciprocal relations between humans, plants, and the land. Yet, how exactly does this reciprocity work?

Natalie Mueller, assistant professor of Archaeology in Arts & Sciences, will speak on the co-evolutionary relationship between humans and plants with a focus on Indigenous North American worldviews in which particular plants are conceived of as kin, with associated expectations of mutual care.

Following the talk, Mueller and Meredith Malone, curator, Kemper Art Museum, will discuss how selected artworks in the exhibition illuminate such reciprocity.

Host or Publisher Kemper Art Museum at WashU