The Midday Talks lecture series is coordinated by Assistant Professor Wei-Han Vivian Lee and is part of the Exploring Design Practice undergraduate course. These lectures are open to the public and registration is not required.

Jason Siebenmorgen will discuss current landscape architecture projects at Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.  A series of case studies will focus on the design and construction of urban public spaces as well as the practical challenges of intensive use, varying horticultural practices and long term maintenance.

Jason Siebenmorgen is Associate Principal at Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc. (MVVA), a landscape architecture firm based in New York City.  At MVVA, Jason leads the planting design and its implementation in projects ranging from courtyard gardens to large scale public parks. One of his focus areas and passions is how planting in public spaces is becoming increasingly rich—informed by both natural and urban ecologies—rendering park spaces both more diverse and more resilient.  At MVVA, Jason’s current projects include Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, New York, A Gathering Place for Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Waterloo Park in Austin, Texas, and continuing work at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, New York.
 
Jason is the recipient of the 2016 Garden Club of America Rome Prize. As a resident at the American Academy in Rome, he investigated the evolving role of plants in both historic and contemporary Italian gardens, bridging his interest in fine arts, horticulture, and landscape architecture.
 
A graduate of the sculpture department of the Kansas City Art Institute, Jason earned a Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Jason lives and works in New York City and the Catskills.

Image: Pier 6 Flower Field, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn NY