Ruth Burke, an assistant professor of video in the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts at Illinois State University, is an interdisciplinary artist who collaborates with animals in her creative practice.
Burke joins Redbird Buzz to detail her path from self-proclaimed “horse girl,” to Whole Foods chalk artist, to her current role as assistant professor and working artist. She details her own academic journey and how her love of animals as a child led her to merge nature, sustainability, and art in her career.
In this episode, Burke also discusses her project “Re-Integration of Mixed-Power Systems in Agroecological Intensification,” in which she is utilizing her team of oxen, Clark and Sparky, to establish two pollinator plots and two pollinator-friendly earthworks in McLean County. Burke’s project is funded by a nearly $50,000, two-year grant from North Central Region SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education).
To learn more about Burke, Clark and Sparky, and their earthworks art, read the spring 2025 issue of Redbird Scholar magazine.
Redbird Buzz is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Transcripts of each episode are available online at Alumni.IllinoisState.edu/Podcast.
