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Paintings and Text by Robert Johnson More on MAIN:

Eight Views of Mt. Pisgah is a mural installation at Ramsey Library at the University of NC Asheville. It was inspired by the view that you see when leaving the library by the front entrance, down the main quadrangle of the University onto Mt. Pisgah. The silhouette of the mountains you see behind the arched panels in this mural is a mirror image of the view you would see if you turned around and walked in a straight line out the front door. Mt. Pisgah was named after the mountain where Moses stood and saw the promised land (See Deuteronomy). He was able to see what the future held for his people. The panels in the mural depict different visions of the future and how each would affect the natural environment. They correspond to different seasons. Click on the paintings for an enlarged view: The Information Age: from Panel I (Summer) A rapidly growing portion of the population is moving to remote Natural areas because they can bring their jobs with them. This has been made possible by the widespread use of computers and the connecting links between them. To these people the beautiful natural environment in which they live becomes a pleasant back drop; the real work of the day takes place in cyberspace. Free Enterprise: from Panel III (Fall) A segment of the population thinks we should go back to a time when the land was all privately owned and there were no restrictions on its development. This would create much business activity, a thriving growing economy and higher material living standards for all. Apocalyptic Future from Panel V (Winter) There are two very different groups that have an apocalyptic view of the future. Many fundamentalist Christians believe that the prophecies in the book of revelations will soon come to pass. There will be a great catastrophe but the saved will move on to a new life up in Heaven. Much Native-American based New Age thinking also predicts major catastrophes called Earth Changes. This group sees a better world after the great cataclysmic events, only the better world will not be up in Heaven, but here on earth. Preservationist: from Panel VIII (Spring) Most mainstream environmental groups believe that large tracts of land like one finds in the Mt. Pisgah area should be set aside so that there are areas where Nature is dominant. This would help balance the increasing destruction of the natural environment that is taking place elsewhere. Most preservationists believe that civilization can continue on the present course with some basic changes such as stronger air and water pollution laws, more recycling and the development of new technologies that help keep the environment cleaner.