Bill Swanson
Born in Pontiac, Michigan Bill spent his formative years living
in many cities of the United States including Saint Louis,
Missouri, Los Angles, California, Phoenix, Arizona and finally
arriving in Indianapolis in 1970.
Education:
- Butler University, Indianapolis, IN. 1978 B.S. Double majors in
Botany and the Environmental Studies Curriculum.
- Miami University, Oxford, OH. 1981 M.S. in Botany specializing
in Physiological Plant Ecology.
- Ball State University, Muncie, IN. Pending. M.L.A. specializing
in professional practice and technological resources in landscape
design.
Associations:
- Lifetime member of the Indiana Academy of Sciences.
- Member of the Indiana Growers Guild.
- Member of the Board of Directors of The daVinci
Pursuit-Bringing art and science together to understand the world
around us.
- Contributing Editor to the international Journal of
Agriculture, Food Science, and Community Development, New Leaf
Publishing.
Highlights:
Bill has had a variety of professional experiences after
graduation. In the 5 years beginning in 1981 as a member of
the curatorial staff in the natural sciences at The Children's
Museum of Indianapolis Bill was responsible for a number of team
projects. These included the design and installation of the
Clowes' Garden Gallery, an introductory space to all the interior
gallery spaces. A new Natural Science Hall designed to inform
and educate visitors to the many wonders of our natural world,
history and geology. A 125 acre Indiana State Nature
Preserve, Ritchey Woods, was dedicated to raising the awareness of
the importance of stewardship of Indiana's dwindling natural
areas.
In 1986 Swanson's Outdoor Designs was founded as a design and
consulting firm dedicated to bringing scientific expertise to the
art of landscape architecture. Over the 25 years of operation
many national clients have asked for his expertise. Clients
include The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Exide Battery
Corporation, Architura Architects Corporation, The Department of
Defense, The General Services Administration, The Toledo Parks
Department, ATCS Engineers, Marsh Supermarkets, and Architecture
Trio Architects.
Presently co-owner with his wife of 28 years, Maria Smietana,
they operate Valentine Hill Farm. A local sustainable family
farm dedicated to applying ecologically sound practices to
producing local organic and chemically unadulterated foods.
Included on this small Boone County, Indiana farmstead is a small
artisan whole grain bakery. As leaders in the local foods
movement in central Indiana they practice the many skills first
learned as students in liberal arts and sciences at Butler:
observation, documentation, analysis, critical thinking,
discussion, and presentation of ideas.