We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of world-renowned naturalist, biologist and author E.O. Wilson a few weeks ago. We were lucky enough to work with Dr. Wilson as part of an artist residency for photographer Alex Harris in 2011. During his residency, Harris worked on Why We Are Here: Mobile and the Spirit of a Southern City, a collaboration with Dr. Wilson focused on Wilson’s hometown of Mobile, Alabama. Through words and photographs the book chronicles the life of this mid-sized American City while also evoking a more universal story of where we all come from and why we are here. It highlights one of the themes of Wilson’s work as a whole – the often invisible but deeply connected relationship between the natural and man-made world.

Upon the book’s publication, we hosted Harris and Wilson to give a lecture on Tulane’s campus (which packed Dixon Hall!) about the book and their collaborative process. Wilson was gracious enough to join us for a dinner and a tour of the Woods with our Environment Curator David Baker. While this was an honor for all of us at A Studio in the Woods, David cites the visit as one of the highlights of his career, capped with Wilson’s acknowledgment and appreciation of David’s restoration work in our Woods.

Dr. Wilson’s contributions both to the field of evolutionary biology and the world at large are immeasurable and he will be sorely missed.

Learn more about Dr. Wilson’s extraordinary life and work here.