Avery McMurtry

Avery McMurtry is a native of Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, where she wandered between the deep shade of maritime forests and the brilliant sun of lowcountry beaches. During the course of undergraduate studies at Northeastern University, Avery encountered the work of Kate Kennan and landscape architecture opened up before her as a creative practice of connecting individuals to environments through empathy. During the COVID19 pandemic, Avery conceived of an experience that would draw attention to the rare beauty and ecological importance of the maritime forests, which today are jeopardized both by sea level rise and development. Avery received Northeastern’s Trail-blazer Award to complete the project, and in the summer of 2022, a local community garden hosted her project Migration, an immersive garden-habitat for Danaus plexippus, the Monarch butterfly, who depend on the forests for shelter and sustenance. She creatively documented the summer’s crop of some 150 butterflies and promoted the scientific installation through social media and local press. Avery continues her engagement with landscape architecture and design communication as Reed Hilderbrand’s Marketing and Communications Assistant.