Permaculture and Food Issues, Opening of Epcot Center
Concurrent with her purchase of 100 acres and an 1800 farmhouse on the banks of the Esopus River in Ulster Country, NY, Diana Mara Henry began her investigation of food issues and the commercial monopoly and manipulation of agriculture. Her collection in the Special Collections includes notebooks from her attendance of Bill Mollison's first U.S. course, three weeks at the Tree People in Los Angeles, his first books on permaculture and many other early notices of teachings by his first disciples in the U.S. Henry also photographed Mollison in color slides during his first teaching forays around New England.
In 1982, Henry attended the opening of Disney's Epcot Center in Florida, and recorded many interviews with its directors and those responsible for the Kraft "pavilion" exhibit "Future Food ", which became the title of her articles for Food Monitor and Southern Exposure. While the photographs accompanying these articles were taken by Steven Borns, her collection includes many color slides she made of Epcot on opening day. Henry also photographed the Northeast Organic Farmers Association (NOFA) conference at Hampshire College in 1980 and David Winston, wild foods explorer, at her home on Ashokan Road, referred to as “Our Garden,” where Susun Weed held some of her women's herbal adventures.
