about 10 hours ago via Facebook

Meet the presenters of SPE’s 2027 Annual Conference! We’re excited to introduce Ashley Beatty, presenting “Forest Activism: The Lorax Speaks.” “This photographic and installation work investigates forests as living, communicating systems—an urgent counter to the Anthropocene’s extractive logic. Bridging scientific research, metaphysical inquiry, and Indigenous knowledge traditions, it reframes the human–forest relationship by treating the landscape not as backdrop but as an active participant.” About the Presenter Ashley Beatty is a photographer, installation artist, and educator whose research-driven practice explores ecofeminism and human–arboreal entanglements through photography and installation. Beatty holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art (2019). Beatty is full-time photography faculty at Bowling Green State University. Upcoming projects include a residency at the Peanut Factory (NC) and, with photographer/educator Sarah Thomas, a two-person exhibition at the University of Saint Francis (Fort Wayne, IN) in dialogue with an Edward Burtynsky exhibition (FA 26) Join us at the 2027 SPE Annual Conference to hear Ashley explore the relationship between forests, climate, ecofeminism, and the human infrastructures that shape the natural world.