WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Sept. 28, 2009 -- "Along A Long Line," a work by artist and Williams College Professor Michael Glier, was published by Hard Press Editions in association with Hudson Mills Press on Friday, Sept. 25. The book follows Glier's artistic and ecological journey along the 70th Longitude.

Beginning in the summer of 2007, Glier set out to live for nine weeks in each of four places representing a different ecosystem: the Arctic, the Amazon, the Caribbean, and Manhattan Island.

Glier worked in the tradition of "plein air" painters, creating outdoors each day at an easel. His journey culminated in 50 landscape oil paintings on aluminum panels, three thousand photographs, and a collection of stories, some of which he presented online in his travel blog .

Glier endeavored to capture the uniqueness of each ecological "motif" while still maintaining a global perspective. Through his paintings, he reflected on the symbiotic relationship between human beings and their surrounding ecosystems.

"With this work I'm trying to break down what I see as a false dichotomy between nature and human culture," Glier said.

Glier's work addresses the urgent issue of man's connection to and place in nature.

In a race against time, Glier labored to create images of landscapes before accelerating environmental changes altered those landscapes forever, hoping his project will evoke a passion for the living world that will lead to improved environmental policy. 

Coinciding with the book's publication is the exhibition "Along A Long Line" at the Gerald Peters Gallery in New York, which runs from Sept. 17 to Oct. 23. The exhibition features 40 paintings made outdoors and four studio works based on the plein air compositions. "Along A Long Line" will travel to the Williams College Museum of Art from Oct. 31, 2009, to Feb. 21, 2010.

Glier received his B.A. from Williams in 1975 and his M.A. from Hunter College in 1979. Solo exhibitions of his art have been held at numerous institutions, including the San Diego Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

Hard Press Editions, in Lenox, Massachusetts, has published artist monographs, art criticism, art theory, fine art prints, fiction, and poetry since 1992.

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Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college's 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research. Students' educational experience is enriched by the residential campus environment in Williamstown, Mass., which provides a host of opportunities for interaction with one another and with faculty beyond the classroom. Admission decisions are made regardless of a student's financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted.

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News: Katie Aldrin