As a component of my art history Master's Degree Thesis at the University of Arizona I will be traveling to Montana to research in Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, along with other state parks and monuments.
My research interests lie in the notions of a Utopia or Eden, which the American West embodied for many during the westward expansion. I am particularly interested in how the act of preserving the wilderness and creating a sanctuary of wildness while the rest of the landscape is manipulated by human encroachment.
I aim to alleviate travel costs for this research trip through this shirt, designed by myself. This shirt also has a dual-purpose to raise awareness for the encroachment of human infrastructure and human presence on the land that was once reigned by the wilderness that is only protected by the National Parks System.