At Michigan State University, we have this river. It cuts right through campus and into the rest of the world as if campus didn't even exist. And for many people, myself included, there are lots of spots where the river serves as a way to escape campus for just a minute to commune with nature. The Red Cedar is a staple of what it means to be a Spartan, and while it is kind of gross and not very clean, everyone still loves the river and what it stands for.

Recently, I've started to see people interacting with the river in ways that I'm not totally used to. Walking through the river, canoeing down the Red Cedar, spending time in the cool water talking with friends instead of sitting up on a grassy overlook nearby where it is dry. Putting up rock sculptures in shallower areas, effectively turning our favorite hangouts into contemporary art spaces.

And I love it. Being in nature and seeing this art being pulled from the surroundings is invigorating as an artist, as a writer, as somebody who just enjoys to see and take in nature around me. Contemporary art moves artists and viewers to really complicate our perceived idea of art, and artistic form. It often times is asking viewers to find a direct correlation to their lives instead of trying to find deeper meaning in how the artist was feeling during its conception.

This is a large leaf I found while spending time in the river one afternoon. Anything can be artistic if you believe it to be. As the great Duchamp said, "even bad art, is still art."

The rock sculptures that have popped up, changed per the artist's view, torn down by viewers, or knocked over by rising water levels, all have a way of reminding me that art and beauty and value and weight exists in everything around us. The world is a disgusting and amazing and horrible and beautiful place and art is our reminder of that. Our reminder to take a second and remember that we are natural beings. That this is our home.

So, please, please please please, if you're out in the world and you have the chance to leave a little art somewhere do it. Don't vandalize, destroy, or take away from our world and these environments, Gather together bits and pieces from the areas around you and leave a little reminder for others in the future. We're all human and this is our home. Let's make it a just place for us all.