Dr. James Ward is a Senior Instructor at the College of Charleston’s Art and Architectural History Department, specializing in landscape architecture. He attended various schools around the country, but eventually found a unique appeal to the University of Georgia, where he obtained three degrees. He pursued a B.A. in English during his undergraduate studies. Coincidentally, he would pass the School of Environmental Design while walking to class. His curiosity was piqued by what he observed of the studio and camaraderie in the classroom, so he took an extra class in the department. It was a step out of his comfort zone, but he discovered a real interest in the field and returned to UGA twice more to earn a B.L.A and an M.L.A in Landscape Architecture.

As a consultant landscape architect, Dr. Ward has worked on numerous projects in the South. Here in the Charleston area, he has had significant roles in the development of Kiawah Island, the aquarium, the airport, and even the College of Charleston campus. He also worked on the Charleston Visitor Center, a project he really enjoyed thanks to its community planning, public participation, and urban design aspects. However, Dr. Ward’s expertise has helped more than just the South, and more than just the United States. For two years, he was the Sole Landscape Architect for the Government of Bermuda. This was a notable experience because it allowed him to be a pioneer – “to figure things out for [himself] and not live in the wake of somebody else’s expectations”. If you were to visit the capital city of Hamilton, you would drive in on the roadway he designed and see the hilly terrain, natural parks, and historic buildings outside your window. These are still standing because of Dr. Ward’s dedication to preservation and development in a way that is true to the natural landscape.

Despite studying and working in the South for a number of years, it’s hard for Dr. Ward to define himself as a Southerner. His father was from Massachusetts, his mother was from Alabama, and he was born in Texas. Because both of his parents were in the Navy, the family moved around quite a bit. Regular relocation makes it hard for anyone to identify with a certain region, but his connection to the South has been compromised for other reasons as well. His mother was from a part of Alabama that struggled in the context of race relations, so he valued his kinship with his Northern family more so than his Southern one. Still, he has spent a lot of time in the region and found it to be a good place to work. He has special sentiments for Georgia.

Currently, Dr. Ward teaches at the College of Charleston. His courses focus on Historic Preservation and Community Planning. Every experience he’s had as a landscape architect has influenced the content that he teaches in class. The projects he’s worked on and the people he’s met have all transferred to his courses in some way or another. He likes for students to get out into the local community because, like Southern studies, landscape architecture is so deeply rooted in place. In fact, “it is a landscape, and a landscape and its people cannot be separated”. What he seeks to pass on to his students is an “appreciation of the founding – to understand where we’ve gone and the changes we’ve brought”.