This book, focusing on an ambitious new body of work by American artist Alexis Rockman (b. 1962), explores the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes, one of the world’s most emblematic and ecologically significant environments.

Rockman’s series The Great Lakes Cycle celebrates the natural majesty and global importance of the Great Lakes while exploring how they are threatened by factors including climate change, globalization, invasive species, mass agriculture, and urban sprawl. Though positive action has been taken in recent decades to understand and counteract the environmental damage, this inspiring publication will serve to promote continued attention to these fragile ecosystems.

The works in the series are based on Rockman’s research, travel in the Great Lakes region, and conversations with scientists, historians, and specialists. Included are large oil paintings, field drawings, a suite of watercolors, and documentary material. The book’s essays will relate this new work to historical and contemporary landscape art and will address the significance of the Great Lakes ecosystem and what it can teach us beyond the region.