Things to See & Do

Ben Cosgrove is a composer-performer whose music explores themes of landscape, place, and environment. Described as “a sonic plein-air painter… [using] his piano as a paintbrush,” Ben has collaborated with groups ranging from rock bands to research scientists, contributed music to several radio and film projects and held residencies and fellowships with institutions including NASA, Harvard University, and myriad national parks. Quintessentially American, Cosgrove is "an expert at painting sonic portraits of curious, unexpected places." He will perform his latest album, Topograph, inspired by land-shaping processes around the country.

What motivates collecting, and who decides what is worth preserving? Explore multiple, creative perspectives on the work of museum collecting, past and present, with emerging scholars and keynote speaker Mark Dion.