The Tiapapata Art Centre will host Professor Karen Brown and Dr Victoria McMillan from the University of St Andrews, Scotland, as part of a collaborative project.
It is called "Growing climate resilience and regeneration through intergenerational and transnational traditional ecological knowledge and skills exchange."
The Samoa programme will include field trips on 11 and 12 June, followed by a special Plant Knowledge Workshop at the Tiapapata Art Centre on Saturday, 13 June 2026. The workshop will bring together youth groups, knowledge holders, educators, artisans, science communicators, conservation organisations, and government and regional partners to explore plant knowledge as living material culture.
The workshop forms part of a wider international exchange linking community-based initiatives in Samoa, the Isle of Skye in Scotland, Costa Rica, Barbados, Wales, England, and other participating regions. Across these places, communities are exploring how traditional ecological knowledge can be transmitted across generations and shared responsibly through museums, ecomuseums, community heritage centres, gardens, arts spaces, and learning environments.
Professor Karen Brown is the Professor of Art History at the University of St Andrews, specialising in Museum and Heritage studies. Her work includes community museums, ecomuseums, sustainability, and climate action. Dr Victoria McMillan works with the University of St Andrews’ Shared Island Stories research project and brings extensive experience in socially engaged learning, ecomuseum practice, community heritage, ecology, conservation, and environmental education.
