This is a tribute to our friend KAR, who passed away in December 2020. KAR was a special friend, who worked with Karine Bonneval on the Sound-of-Soil project in November 2019. An article in the Cornell Chronicle tells that story. Below are a few photos from KAR’s time in our lab, as well as a few entries that I found online. I had invited KAR to our art salons to show their ‘krowns’ that are fascinating art works, just a few months ago they wrote back “I have 4 krowns (hats) in progress and a 2 mural in the works. This timing will also inspire me to work on these projects a little more between now and then.” And KAR wrote to Karine in November 2020 “It is incredible to hear from you at this particular moment. We really loved working with you and have very fond memories. We are in that ancient peace so no matter what happens around us we are doing well. Wishing you the very best and hoping you have spent more time in Berlin as well. Thank you for sharing about the great inclusivity of arts in Berlin. KAR”. I have very fond memories of KAR coming over for dinner to our house and sharing stories of what they did in their time before coming to Cornell. I wish we had more time together. I will miss KAR.
From Cornell websites:
Adapted from Cornell’s McNair Scholar Program: KAR studies Agricultural, Environmental & Sustainability Sciences. Having an extensive career in Sustainable Development Marketing and as an experienced artist, they are interested in developing policy and certifications around the people side of sustainable development’s triple bottom line (People, Planet, Profit) to progress climate adaptability through cultural resilience shifting human behavior within societies. Through multidisciplinary participatory art installations, they will share agricultural, environmental and sustainability sciences in culturally relevant ways to empower communities to find their own climate adaptation. They look forward to working with farmers internationally on sustainable agriculture practices in a changing climate, as well as, empowering people to adapt to climate migration and celebrate cultural diversity and resilience as an advantage in societal climate adaptation. Additionally, they work on social justice issues in dismantling white supremacy in cultures, communities and institutions. They are an abolitionist seeking an end to mass incarceration and the school to prison pipeline.
From Cornell’s webpage for the Global Citizen’s program: My name is Kimberly A Robison, also known as KAR~, call me KAR for short. I am a multi-disciplined artist and writer originally from Pasadena, Texas which is on the shipchannel in Houston. I am a muralist and am grateful to have painted murals in five countries. I have had solo art shows in NYC, group shows in NYC and Houston, and international shows featuring my sketches, paintings, murals, and millinery wearable art. I am a restoration gardener and permaculture farmer and enjoy painting with plants. I spent the last decade in Harlem in NYC and recently moved to Ithaca to continue my studies at Cornell University. I am double majoring in Agricultural Sciences with a concentration in Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental and Sustainability Sciences with a minor in Africana Studies. I plan to earn a doctorate degree in Sustainable Development with a concentration in Cultural Sustainability.