Submitted by Lawson Schultz on the 2020 winter session program in Brazil sponsored by the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences…
Although we have only been in Rio de Janeiro for a week now, we have participated in many activities and visited numerous fun locations. In addition to continuing to have field sketching and plants and human culture classes, we have also had two watercolor lessons at Casa Caminhoa. During the first watercolor lesson, we learned basic techniques about how to create a gradient and later practiced painting an image of our choice. A few days later at our second watercolor lesson, we made a color wheel and painted a still life of fruit.
Near the studio that we take the watercolor lessons is Jardim Botanico, the largest botanic garden in Rio, which was established in 1808. In Jardim Botanico there was a sensory garden where we could touch and smell all the plants. Ironically, the sensory garden was located next to the cacti garden. Although we did not get to see every part of Jardim Botanico, we did walk through the iconic allee of palm trees.
Another notable place we have visited so far is Roberto Burle Marx ‘s architect office. Haruyoshi Ono was Marx’s landscape architect partner. Today Isabella, Ono’s daughter, her brother and another partner own the Marx landscape architecture company. While at their office, we were shown many prints from their past projects, and they explained how they go about a project in its many steps. After leaving the office, we went downtown to visit a rooftop garden that had been reconstructed. Tile murals were a main component on each wall.
Yesterday was particularly busy. In the morning, we took the metro for the first time. We got to visit the world’s largest mural created by one person. The mural is bold and colorful and features native people from each continent. We walked to the Museum of Tomorrow. The museum included very large modern installations with the intention of shedding light on environmental issues. That afternoon, we traveled by ferry to Niteroi, across the water from downtown Rio. There we had the opportunity to eat at a fish market where you could buy the fish on the first floor and bring it upstairs to the second floor to have it prepared and cooked. Before heading back on the ferry, we visited the Museum of Modern Art, which was a very interesting building designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer.
