Patricia Johanson: Reimagining Harmony Between Art, Nature, and Infrastructure

When Patricia Johanson began integrating art and nature, it wasn’t merely an artistic choice—it was a life’s mission. Her work, which blended the functionality of infrastructure with the beauty of the natural world, set her apart as a pioneer in eco-art. Decades before sustainability became a buzzword, Johanson was reshaping landscapes to repair ecosystems, create habitats, and reconnect humans with the environment.

Johanson, who passed away at the age of 84, leaves behind a legacy that is both groundbreaking and deeply empathetic. Her son, Gerrit Goossen, recalls her personal philosophy: “She realized you could not just build something for people, but could actually use it as a way to rehabilitate what mankind has done.”

From her early experiments in Minimalism to the sweeping land art installations that defined her later career, Johanson’s work was a testament to her belief in art’s power to heal. Projects like Fair Park Lagoon in Dallas and Endangered Garden along San Francisco Bay showcase this ethos. They are not only visually striking but also serve as functioning ecosystems, addressing erosion, providing wildlife habitats, and educating communities about the delicate balance of nature.

Johanson’s career began in the 1960s with minimalist sculptures and paintings featured in exhibitions alongside giants like Barnett Newman and Helen Frankenthaler. But her mentor Georgia O’Keeffe encouraged her to look beyond the canvas. As Johanson herself noted, “Creating a nurturing, living world doesn’t mean it can’t be a popular and entertaining place.”

Her work was a response to—and a rejection of—the destructive tendencies of some contemporaries in the Land Art movement. While many imposed their vision upon the landscape, Johanson collaborated with it. “She’s not a taker,” said artist and professor Judy Major-Girardin. “She’s looking around her and trying to think of how her expertise can contribute to something more positive in the world.”

Perhaps her most ambitious piece, Endangered Garden, exemplifies this collaborative spirit. This one-third-mile concrete promenade resembles the shape of a local endangered garter snake and is part infrastructure, part sanctuary. It restores habitats for wildlife while also serving as a tidal garden and a place for the community to gather.

Her final years saw her still innovating, with a project at McMaster University aiming to reimagine a campus wetland paved over decades ago. “I have the schematic done and the rest is in my head,” she shared in a 2021 interview. The work remains unfinished, but its vision reflects her lifelong commitment to reparation and renewal.

Johanson’s impact goes beyond her physical works. She challenged how art is conceived, shifting it from a solitary expression to a collaborative force that can rebuild ecosystems and bridge the gap between humanity and the natural world. “Of all the artists…who have become known for large-scale public art in/with nature…Johanson stands out as a seldom-acknowledged pioneer,” wrote Lucy Lippard in her monograph on the artist.

Today, her vision feels more relevant than ever. Johanson’s work reminds us that art doesn’t have to be at odds with nature—it can amplify its beauty, preserve its integrity, and inspire new ways of thinking about our place within it. She showed the world that healing could be as much an artistic practice as it is an ecological necessity.