Gran’s University. Last Chance, Colorado. Temporary classrooms and curriculum. 2012.
Gran’s University is an artwork established by the M12 Collective and Kultivator with the aim of collecting and archiving rural local knowledge and narratives. Inspired by Vandana Shiva, who in 2003 started the Grandmother’s University in Navdanya, North India, the university’s goal is to both celebrate and validate the wisdom of our grandmothers (and grandfathers). Temporary classrooms were created in Dyestad, Sweden, and Last Chance, Colorado, allowing for a cultural exchange through small group learning. Topics varied from quilting to preparing food to milling wood. Outside the classroom the project serves to build long-term dialogue about the importance of global rural cultural connections and addresses important issues such as agriculture and environmental sustainability; global economies co-existing with local economies; food production; and the continual diversification of the social landscape in rural communities and remote regions.
