LSU’s College of Art + Design has selected Architect Lori Ryker, executive director at the Artemis Institute in Livingston, Montana, as its Marie M. Bickham Chair, and Landscape Architect Gary Smith, of Toronto, CA, as its Nadine Carter Russell Chair for the 2011–12 academic year.

According to Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture Interim Director Van Cox, both Ryker and Smith are known nationally for their experiential studies of various environments, including natural and cultural landscapes. “After exposure to these talented individuals we believe the students will have a greater sensitivity to and appreciation for their sites in future designs,” says Cox.

Ryker’s work involves the intersection of architecture and landscape and her specialty is design-­‐build. She also emphasizes site analysis and the connections of culture and landscape. She conducts a remote studio experience with students at the Artemis Institute in Montana, where she is executive director. Ryker has previous exposure to the landscapes of Louisiana, particularly the area between New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette. An architect by education, Ryker has visited LSU once as part of the Paula G. Manship Lecture Series, and once as a guest critic. For more information about her work, visit studioryker.com.

Smith’s work is centered on plants and planting design, particularly for botanical gardens, arboreta, and residential design. He works extensively on public art, and recently released a new book, From Art to Landscape; Unleashing Creativity in Planting Design (Timber Press). A landscape architect with an MLA from the Univ. of Pennsylvania, he has completed award-­‐winning and notable projects, among them, his work with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Peirce’s Woods at Longwood Gardens, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Santa Fe Botanical Garden Master Plan, and the Southern Highlands Reserve in Cashiers, North Carolina. He will present his work this fall at the ASLA Annual Meeting in San Diego.

For more information about Smith’s work, visit: www.wgarysmith.com/design