Two-Eyed Seeing & Third Spaces” at Lunch with a Scientist
“Lunch with a Scientist” is a monthly in-person and online program hosted by Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve where scientists present a general-audience lecture about their work at or related to Cedar Creek. Rebecca Krinke was invited to be the August speaker where she presented the work of the “Two-Eyed Seeing & Third Spaces” group at Cedar Creek through a slide presentation chronicling the research questions and approach to place-based learning with two-eyes. This highlighted the gatherings of the group at various sites within the 5500 acres of the field station, including the Big Bio diversity experiment plots, the bison pavilion, Cedar Bog Lake, and the Ecology Walk, culminating in a research focus on the sacred and medicinal uses of plants.
Upcoming work by Collaborative members was also presented, including a new collaborative project instigated by Rebecca Krinke as a follow up to her work at Bernard Field Station at the Claremont Colleges, Claremont, California (April 2024). She and fellow College of Design faculty member Emily Stover wrote a grant to explore both Cedar Creek and Bernard field stations through place-based learning with tools of art + science. They are working with Caitlin Potter, PhD, Associate Director of Cedar Creek, Wallace (Marty) Meyer III, PhD, Director of the Bernard Field Station, and Professors Lance Neckar and Monica Mahoney of Pitzer College, who teach at the field station.
After the presentation and audience questions and discussion, everyone was invited to join Rebecca, Caitlin Potter, and Jacob Gustafson, research assistant, to see the “third space” installed temporarily at the dock at Cedar Bog Lake. The large translucent “curtain” - printed with a photograph of being on the Moon, looking at the Earth - was created by Rebecca and her 2023-24 research assistant Lucia Bennett. Originally prototyped at Cedar Creek on the research frames in the big bio plots, the curtain was also installed at Bernard Field Station in April. Several Lunch with a Scientist audience members made the trek to Cedar Bog Lake to experience the overlay of the Moon-Earth curtain on the landscape. People were delighted to view the lake through the curtain, with one person exclaiming as we walked up for first glimpses, “There’s the lunar module!” as she pointed to monitoring equipment in the lake which did have an uncanny resemblance to the Apollo lander. The “third space” we created had a powerful effect on conversation, and it was gratifying that we were there a half hour or so talking about Cedar Creek and Raymond and Eleanor Lindeman’s work at the lake which had a profound effect on shaping the field of ecology. We talked about what is a field station, what they could become, about education, especially outdoor education, from kids to elders, higher education in America, and other countries approaches.
The Culture Garden at Prairie Island
The Two-Eyed Seeing group traveled south to Prairie Island Indian Community to see and experience the Cultural Garden at the community center. We are grateful to Nicki Buck for meeting with us in the garden to talk about her work with plants, the garden, and community. Nicki is a leader in Dakota plant knowledge and in the Cultural Garden work.
During our time with Nicki, we learned about two plants key to the Dakota people: sage and sweetgrass. Nicki described how she established sweetgrass at the center of the garden in forms inspired by the spread of an eagle’s wings. She talked about how the sweetgrass and sage display characteristics of being introverts and extroverts, respectively. This comes to fruition for both plants in the way they tell you what they need and in an overall sense how they're doing. Sage always clearly lets the person know if it's not happy, unlike sweetgrass that holds that information often to itself. The sweetgrass was lushly growing in full sun with tufted swirling mounds - a sign of happy plants. The sweetgrass truly does smell sweet - like fresh air after a cooling rain shower.
Nicki said that she would teach us how to braid sweetgrass. We were each invited to choose a spot to sit within the sweetgrass bed. Nicki was taught how to braid sweetgrass by elders/teachers from her community. To begin our braiding, she told us to create three bundles of seven strands, each beginning at the base of the plant. These three bundles represent the past generation (our ancestors), the current generation, and the third represents the generations and people to come. Then braid until you get almost to the end of the strands, taking a blade or two of sweetgrass (separated from the braid) to wrap around and tie the newly braided bundle. These braids are then cut at the bottom of the plant. They are then dried and later often burned in someone's home as a way to cleanse and purify the air.
Nicki described to us that she starts her braiding facing east since she is an “eastern woman.” Then she rotates to the other three cardinal directions. The human always goes in a circle to do the braiding. In this way, four bundles are created, and she would then move to a new spot to begin the circular braiding again. This technique ensures both the longevity and health of the plant.
Before and after braiding, Jewell sang a song over the sweetgrass. This song/practice came into discussion as Jewell talked with the group about how many of the planting and harvesting songs of the Dakota people have been lost. She told us about her visit to the Smithsonian Institute in hopes of finding wax recordings of such songs, only to not find any.
Discussion also engaged other plants in the garden. We took a longer look at chokecherries. Nick told us that in the Lakota tradition, these berries are mixed with a source of fat and used to create a jerky-like food that not only is high in protein and minerals, it is portable which makes it easy to take on hunting trips. This mixture could also be rehydrated and used in soups, broths, as well as an addition to many different meals.
Third Spaces
Third Spaces: How, Where, and Why
Post Curated by Jacob Gustafson
Third spaces can be defined simply as a place which is different from both home and work. The purpose of these different spaces cover a wide range of purposes and provide a wide range of different benefits. These spaces have long been an essential part of modern civilization that help to facilitate essential human connection all of which will be touched upon in the coming post. (Mackelden)
Third Spaces pertaining to architecture
Looking first specifically at third spaces pertaining to architectural practices and principles a few key attributes become apparent. To begin with these spaces aim at curating places that are apart from work, school, and home. A space in which creativity, a feeling of belonging, and arguably most importantly a space in which social interactions flourish. A place that builds upon principles already present that exemplify greater and different outcomes. These spaces are often designed with the principle of being a social setting, whether this is a bar, bowling alley, coffee shop, etc. they all share these common goals. Architects and their architecture in turn aims at curating a space which allows for an increase in cross communication between different cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities, and past lived experiences. A place which isn’t orientated towards a certain group of people. In turn, third spaces can allow for a great change in architecture and how we understand and interpret concepts, ideas, and how people view buildings as a whole. (Ashraf)
Social Justice Implications of Third Spaces
Third Spaces sound like a great idea that not only benefits the community as a whole, but also the individuals that occupy that community. So why don't we see them around every corner? Although the reasoning is multifaceted and multiple different people, organizations, and most importantly money play into the lack of these spaces, discrimination is also a leading factor of the overall lack of these spaces. While comparing how space is allocated in different communities, a few key aspects become quickly apparent, especially when comparing poorer communities to wealthy communities. In wealthy areas we see ample specialty restaurants, boutique coffee shops, as well as large parcels of green space. This is something that poorer communities lack greatly. We see these green spaces quickly disappearing and, in their place, large highrises being built. Small businesses are quickly being bought out, torn down, and built larger by huge corporations. (Wamsley)
Green Spaces as Third Spaces
Third spaces in the form of parks, nature reserves, etc. allow for something that none of the other third spaces previously mentioned allow for. That attribute is the mental health effects that can only be created by being immersed in nature. Being surrounded by trees allows for greater air quality, a decrease in sound pollution, as well as an increase in physical health. (Davvit). That's only half the story though. Apart from the benefits in mental health that third spaces provide, these spaces allow for an increase in cognitive function, physical health, decreased morbidity, decrease mortality, along with mental health as previously mentioned. (World Health Organization)
These are just some of the places that third spaces are apparent and their impact. This is in no way meant to be a comprehensive list of where these spaces can be found. Third spaces can be different for everyone and can show up just about anywhere. The importance as well as presence of these are just beginning to be noted and investigated further. I'll leave this post with one question. How are third spaces a part of your life?
Sources
Ashraf, A. (2023, July 1). Third spaces in architecture: Ray Oldenberg. RTF | Rethinking The Future. https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architectural-community/a10480-third-spaces-in-architecture-ray-oldenberg/
Davvit, A. (2023, February 3). The importance of green spaces in an increasingly gray world - sustainable earth. Sustainable Earth - Where People and the Planet Thrive. https://sustainable-earth.org/green-spaces/
Mackelden, A. (2024, January 18). Do you have a third space in your life? here’s what experts want you to know about them. https://www.bestproducts.com/lifestyle/a46408768/what-are-third-spaces/
Wamsley, L. (2020, August 5). Parks in nonwhite areas are half the size of ones in majority-white areas, study says. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2020/08/05/899356445/parks-in-nonwhite-areas-are-half-the-size-of-ones-in-majority-white-areas-study-
World Health Organization. (1970, January 1). Urban Green Spaces and health. World Health Organization. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/345751#:~:text=Urban%20green%20spaces%2C%20such%20as%20parks%2C%20playgrounds%2C%20and,exposure%20to%20air%20pollutants%2C%20noise%20and%20excessive%20heat.
The Ecology Walk and Two-Eyed Seeing
A portion of the team spent some time immersed in each other's presence to discuss what, how, and where they have experienced third spaces and where they might in the future. Time was also spent on examining the prevalence of two eyed seeing in each of their own day-to-day lives. This discussion was then followed by an outdoor walk around Cedar Creek in which the plant species, including sage,,(need to add the other species) were admired and discussion began about how these plants have been used both presently as well as in the past. Examination both into the Latin name as well as Dahkota language allowed the team to further understand, as well as connect these plants to one another. This also allowed us to understand how the plant may be used in sacred practices as well as medicinally. The excursion ended with gathering (didn't get a picture of this plant species) which was then used to create an earthy mint tea in which the team enjoyed over a conversation based on further actions and ideas we had for this project.
Our Research-Creative Collaborative met at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve on Monday, June 24 to begin building our experience and knowledge of plants together. We were delighted to welcome Jacob Gustafson, our summer research assistant. Jacob is a UMN architecture student and very much a plant lover. The Ecology Walk focuses on two-eyed seeing with plant signs in four languages - Dakota, Latin/scientific name, common name in English, and Ojibwe. A Little Free Library inspired by two-eyed seeing is on the Walk - built and filled with books selected by high school interns Wyatt, Sabrina, and Clayton.
Our group spent time with our plant relatives sage, blazing star, bergamot, beardtongue, yarrow, and Virginia Mountain Mint. We enjoyed admiring their beauty together and experiencing their textures and scents. Discussion began around the sacred and medicinal gifts of these plants. Examination both into the Latin name as well as the Dakota name allowed the team to further understand and connect these plants to one another. We decided to conclude our excursion by making tea from the Virginia Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum) or Waĥpé čheyáka in Dakota). Before the harvest, Jewell sang a Dakota song to the plant. Rebecca helped harvest and Caitlin brewed the tea. As we sipped we were grateful to our plant relatives for providing a delicious tea as we conversed about furthering our plant knowledge and how we might create a “third space” together at Cedar Creek. One idea was to braid the big bluestem grasses in the prairie to create a nest for us to gather in.
