This thesis allowed Margo to delve into their love of the Willamette River (see Eco Art Works) and Ross Island that bloomed during their summers as a kayak guide there while applying the skills they had learned through eco art classes and exploration.

Abstract

In a world where solutions to environmental degradation are increasingly complicated, artists are wondering how they can facilitate environmental engagement. I explore two environmental theoretical lenses, wicked problems/clumsy solutions and environmental imaginaries, and how they can be bridged through the unique skill sets of artists. I then determine conflicting imagined futures of Ross Island in the Willamette River via textual and historical analyses wherein a few key management desires are revealed across Ross Island’s history alongside opportunities for engagement across difference and various stakeholder connections to art. Persistent conflicts around Ross Island’s future have focused on industry, recreation, and wildlife preservation, while recently cyanobacteria, Pirate Boats, and the Ross Island Sand and Gravel pension fund exacerbate this wicked problem. Artists’ ability to imagine novel futures and connect people through art position them to mediate a clumsy solution through speculative analysis. Key historical decisions then ground a speculative analysis which offers insight into the multiplicity of futures possible moving forward, taking the form of a Choose-Your-Own adventure book alternative outcome. These theories, methods, and results are then applied to a proposed stakeholder engagement event facilitated by an artist using speculative analysis. Finally, I discuss speculative analysis which, while a relatively new research method, opens new opportunities for creative engagement to explore future possibilities. Various disciplines, especially those relating to the environment and design could benefit from using the methods, theories, findings, and proposal of this research.