Ian Garrett

Call for Applications: INTERNATIONAL LAND ART WORKSHOP

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Date: October 5-19, 2012

Venue: Sang Arts Village, Sang near Tamale in Northern Region of Ghana

Date: February 10-24, 2012

Venue: Abetenim Arts Village near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

International Land Art Workshop is a two-week group residency.  It is designed to bring together creative persons such as artists, architects and engineers to create works by use of materials from the environment.  The participants will live and work together in an Arts Village in a rural township for knowledge sharing and cross-fertilization of skills over the two-week period.  By land art (or earthworks, environmental art) we imply: (1) Works created with materials from the environment involving air, water, earth, stone, and wood, or (2) Site-specific installation (with natural or industrial materials) within a landscape to create an aesthetic experience.  Thus, the theme is open; but permanency of work is encouraged, ephemeral would be only if it is the most appropriate means to communicating the idea.  The realized work may become a part of the Arts Village or sited in a public space in nearby village.

Organizers will provide accommodation and food; an accepted applicant will contribute participation fee of $100 / €70 toward food.  The international participant is responsible for own travel costs and proposed project.  We suggest that participants apply for travel grants through their national art councils or other sources.  To apply, send CV, statement/sketch of your proposed work, and a sample of your existing work to info@nkafoundation.org/ nkaprojects@gmx.com.  Submissions will be reviewed until space is filled.  For details on our projects go to www.nkafoundation.org.

In Ghana: Nka Foundation, Box Up 1115, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi.

In Burkina Faso: Nka Foundation, 04 BP 399, Ouagadougou 04.

PDF Land Art Workshop

Call for Proposals 2012 Cheng Long International Environmental Art Project in Taiwan, “What’s for Dinner?”

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Artists from all countries are invited to send a proposal for a site-specific outdoor sculpture installation to be created during a 26-day artist in residency (April 11 – May 7, 2012) in Cheng Long, a small rural village near the southwestern coast of Taiwan in Kouhu Township,Yunlin County. This art project is an expansion of the 2010 and 2011 Cheng Long Wetlands International Environmental Art Projects, going into the Village as well as the Wetlands. The selected artists will work with elementary school children and community residents to create large-scale sculpture installations focused on the theme of “What’s for Dinner?”  The artworks should reflect on environmental issues surrounding food production and emphasize organic aquaculture.  Artworks will be in village public spaces, on abandoned buildings, and in the wetlands nature preserve, and artists will use recycled materials and natural materials to create their artworks that will stay on exhibition through 2013.

Proposals Due:  Feb. 8, 2012

Artists Notified by:  Feb. 22, 2012

Residency in Taiwan:  April 8 – May 7, 2012

Selected Artists Receive:  NT50,000 (US$1,662), round trip economy airfare, accommodations and meals for 26 days in Taiwan, local transportation, volunteer help to find materials and make the artworks

Send the following by email to Curator, Jane Ingram Allen, allenrebeccajanei@gmail.com

  1. Description of your proposed sculpture installation giving estimated size and materials to be used (limit 1 page as a .doc or .pdf file).
  2. Sketch of your proposed work as a .jpg or .pdf file (less than 1 MG in size)
  3. Images and image list (title, date made, dimensions, materials/media, and where located) of 6 previous outdoor sculpture installations (6 .jpg files each less than 1MG in size)
  4. CV or resume showing exhibitions, awards, residencies, education and experience as an artist (.doc or .pdf file)
  5. Contact information:  Name, Present Address, Nationality, Email address and Website (.doc or .pdf file)

For more information visit the Blog at http://artproject4wetland.wordpress.com or contact Jane Ingram Allen, allenrebeccajanei@gmail.com

Economical and Eco-Friendly Clothing Art

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The tagline of creative collective Sewing Rebellion is “Stop Shopping, Start Sewing!” Founded by Carol Lung-Bazile, AKA FrauFiber, in 2006, this eclectic group of men and women sew to save money and impact the way Americans think about clothing and garment production. The nearly lost arts of mending and reusing clothing are explored twice monthly in Brooklyn. New chapters of this organization are popping up all over the United States, encouraging thousands of men and women to become sewing-empowered. Many international chapters have opened, bridging differences in culture and economics to bring people together around the sewing machine.

The main aim of Sewing Rebellion is to provide individuals with the skills necessary to fix clothing and create exciting new garments out of articles that would otherwise go to waste. In fact, cutting down on consumer waste is one of the stated goals of the NYC Chapter of Sewing Rebellion. Every year, millions of used clothing items are thrown away or sit in closets and thrift shops, gathering dust. It doesn’t take a masters degree in sustainability to see that these items contribute to landfill overcrowding and encourage garment manufacturers to continue producing cheap, expendable clothing. The garment industry is notorious for exploitation and the widespread use of sweatshop labor.

Sewing Rebellion members hope that encouraging consumers to fix worn or broken items will help cut down on demand for poorly-constructed articles. In turn, they hope a decrease in demand for cheap, new clothing would force manufacturers to pay their employees living wages in return for constructing high-quality, durable garments.

Recent press about the Sewing Rebellion movement has highlighted how the group helps consumers save money and teaches fun, essential sewing skills. Ranging from instruction on darning socks and replacing buttons to repairing zippers and refitting dresses, group meetings offer something for sewers and aspirants of all levels. A recent article in the Washington Post highlights the economic and environmental advantages associated with learning how to repair clothing. Repairing pockets, replacing buttons, and sewing busted seams helps consumers extend the life of their clothing. Replacing fewer items means spending less money. This is a fun form of frugality that is well-suited to tough economic times.

Sewing Rebellion chapters also encourage members to seize upon and express their own unique sense of style. Millions of Americans buy the exact same shirts, jeans, skirts and outerwear from the same stores every year. It is difficult to look unique in a clothing market saturated with cheap items that are similar in quality and appearance. Reusing and repurposing old garments is a wonderful way for individuals to recycle waste and to express their own taste. Garment swaps sponsored by the group encourage individuals to take advantage of the old maxim that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Frau Fiber’s movement has caught fire as a fun and stylish way to save money and reduce waste. Economic struggles have encouraged many individuals to find creative ways to protect their pocketbooks and to get the best value out of the things that they own. Sewing Rebellion is a collective of women and men who embrace the ethos of frugality while promoting creativity and style awareness. The less you shop and the more you sew, the more you save. The logic underlying Sewing Rebellion is beautifully simple.

30 November: xSpecies Dinner Party « Carbon Arts

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DROUGHT AND FLOODING RAINS: THE DINNER

Artist Natalie Jeremijenko and chefs Mihir Desai and Pierre Roelofs create a sensory experience of edible artworks from a fragile land(scape).

Running for over a year in New York and Boston, the celebrated Cross(x)Species Adventure Club Supper Club, comes to Australia for the first time. Five+ paired courses will be served to adventurous palates exploring the unique properties of Australian ecology through modern cuisine techniques and inspired ingredients.

Wednesday 30 November 2011

7:00 – 9:30 PM

Arc One Gallery, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000

$140 I Limited seats available

via 30 November: xSpecies Dinner Party « Carbon Arts.

WetlandCare Australia National Art and Photography Competition

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To celebrate World Wetlands Day 2012 on February 2, WetlandCare Australia is hosting their 5th annual Australia wide art and photography competition. There are categories for young people and adults, and for the first time the competition includes categories specifically for Indigenous artists.

The categories in the competition have been designed to give as many people as possible the opportunity to submit entries. The categories are:

WetlandCare Australia Awards

WetlandCare Australia Senior Management will select 3 of the winning works selected by the judges in Art, Indigenous Art or Photography that best promote the organisations objectives for the next 12 months. These works will be awarded a WetlandCare Australia Award, and will be used in promotional materials and events. See the Rules of the Competition for full details.

Prizes on offer:

  • 3 Nights accommodation for 2 adults in Ramada Breakas Vanuatu Garden Fare with Continental breakfast daily included: valued at AUD$720. Valid February 2012 – February 2013. Some block out dates may apply.
  • 2 night stay for a family of 4 in a 2 Bedroom Riverview Suite at Ramada Hotel and Suites Ballina, valued at $630. Valid 02 February 2012 – 02 August 2012. Some block out dates apply.
  • 2 night stay for a couple in a Hotel Spa Room at Ramada Hotel and Suites Ballina, valued at $330. Valid 02 February 2012 – 02 August 2012. Some block out dates apply.

All artworks and photographs must be the original work of the entrant, and provided on paper, unframed and up to A3 in size.

All categories of the competition are acquisitive; reproductions of the winning entries of the WetlandCare Australia National Art and Photography Competition may be used by WetlandCare Australia to promote wetlands, and the work of WetlandCare Australia.

Competition theme

Wetlands, Tourism and Recreation

For more information about the wise use of wetlands for recreation and other pursuits, you can download the WetlandCare Australia Fact Sheet:

Wise Use of Wetlands

You can also draw inspiration from our facebook page and see some of the amazing wetlands that we are working hard to promote and protect: www.fb.com/wetlandcare

The winning works from the 2011 competition can be viewed in the online gallery and there is also a selection you can view on Flickr

Click here to see the gallery

Click here to see Flickr

The Ramsar Convention website also has information on using wetlands for Tourism and Recreation. Seehttp://www.ramsar.org

Competition coordinator Liz Hajenko says of the theme: “It can cover so many of the different ways we all engage with wetlands and waterways: everything from fishing, sharing time in nature with family and friends, bird watching, through to the benefits and challenges of tourism.”

Click here to read the press release on the launch of the Indigenous prizes

Enter now!

Further information and conditions of entry (including the Rules of the Competition) for the WetlandCare Australia National Art and Photography Competition 2012 is located with the entry forms for the respective categories.
Please print out and fill in the entry forms and post them with your artwork and photographs.  If you are under 18, don’t forget to get an adult to sign your application.

Click here to download a print-friendly version of the ART entry form

Click here to download a print-friendly version of the INDIGENOUS ART entry form

Click here to download a print-friendly version of the PHOTOGRAPHY entry form
The competition closes on December 2 2011.  Winners will be notified on December 22 2011 and awarded their prizes on February 1 2012 at an official awards ceremony at the CSIRO Discovery Centre in Canberra.

World Wetlands Day

World Wetlands Day falls on February 2 each year. It is an international event declared by the United Nations to commemorate the signing of the Ramsar Convention to protect and preserve wetlands around the world. World Wetlands Day is an excellent opportunity to undertake activities focused on raising awareness of the values and environmental benefits of wetlands, both locally and globally. The theme for World Wetlands Day 2011 is Wetlands, Tourism and Recreation

If you are interested in gaining more information on World Wetlands Day and the Ramsar Convention, seehttp://www.ramsar.org/.

 Wetlands are essential, not only as an intrinsic component of balanced ecosystems and sustainable catchments, but also because they provide services to human society and biodiversity generally. The solutions our planets’ needs require creativity and new ideas – a great opportunity to link art and the environment!

Artwork on website front page: Leticia Shiu Nature in the Wetlands Merit Award, Murrary Darling Basin Authority Children’s Art Junior 2011

Culture Beyond Oil publication launch

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Liberate Tate, Art Not Oil and Platform warmly invite you to a get together to end oil sponsorship of the arts. Featuring a performance from singer-comedian Mae Martin, contributing artist to the upcoming Tate à Tate audio tour, the evening will be the first opportunity to purchase the freshly stamped limited edition copies of Not if but when: Culture Beyond Oil.

Event details:

Tuesday 29th November

Free Word Centre 60 Farringdon Road, London, EC1R 3GA

10.30am – 6.30pm Oil daub performance by Ruppe Koselleck

6.30pm – 9.00pm Culture Beyond Oil Launch Event (refreshments provided)

Not if but when: Culture Beyond Oil is a publication that sets out to discuss oil sponsorship of the arts. The single issue, limited edition publication features artworks in dialogue with the BP Gulf of Mexico catastrophe and articles that set out the compelling arguments for an end to BP and Shell’s murky involvement with many of the nation’s favourite cultural institutions.

This is an open event – feel free to invite your friends and colleagues.

Featured artwork: Anthony Burrill, 'Oil & Water Do Not Mix', 2010. Phot credit: Happiness Brussels

The launch event will bring together many of the growing number of artists, activists, cultural workers and gallery-goers who have built the ideas, drive and passion that are embedded in the publication itself. The launch will be an opportunity to celebrate our collective visions and strategies for ending oil sponsorship of the arts.

During the day on Monday the 28th November, each copy of this full colour 1000 limited edition will be numbered and daubed with oil from Gulf of Mexico beaches by featured artist Ruppe Koselleck, as part of his ongoing Takeover BP project, in which Koselleck sells artworks to buy shares with the aim of ultimately taking over BP.

People are warmly invited to come and witness the process during the day, have a chat with people present from Liberate Tate, Platform and Art Not Oil, or browse some of the literature relating to BP and Shell’s global activities.

The Free Word Centre is next to the Betsy Trotwood pub. The nearest tube station is Farringdon (Circle, District and Metropolitan Lines) a 5 minute walk away. Buses that stop near Free Word are 63 on Farringdon Road, 19 and 38 on Rosebery Avenue and 55 and 243 on Clerkenwell Road. See map.

Liberate Tate is an art collective exploring the role of creative intervention in social change dedicated to taking creative disobedience against Tate until it drops its oil company funding. Contact: liberatetate@gmail.com@LiberateTate.

Platform is an arts and research organisation bringing together environmentalists, artists, human rights campaigners, educationalists and community activists to create innovative projects driven by the need for social and environmental justice. Contact: info@platformlondon.org@PlatformLondon.

Art Not Oil encourages artists – and would-be artists – to create work that explores the damage that companies like BP and Shell are doing to the planet, and the role art can play in counteracting that damage. Contactinfo@artnotoil.org.uk.

Wales’ Volcano Theater Releases Free Resource for Creative Industries to tackle Climate Change

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Free resource to help creative industries tackle climate change and understand their role in creating a more sustainable society now available online

Creative industries can play a fundamental role in developing a sustainable future for the planet, both by addressing the direct impact on the environment from their own practice, and through the influential impact their work could have within society.

But for many working in the arts, addressing these complex issues can be a daunting task.  A new initiative based in Wales is encouraging creative practitioners to take direct action to develop a sustainable future for the planet, and by bringing together scientists and artists, the project is helping drive the issue of sustainable practice within the arts to the forefront of the political agenda within Wales.

The project, entitled ‘Emergence’, began as a collaboration between Swansea based theatre company Volcano and Cynnal Cymru-Sustain Wales, supported by Arts Council Wales and The British Council.  In 2010/11 The arts community in Wales attended three major events to raise issues, discuss alternatives, and suggest practical solutions for a more sustainable future.

The series of conferences focused on creating an impetus for change within the arts, challenging practices and motivating artists and creative companies to discuss and develop practical solutions to reduce their environmental impact.  In addition, the project encouraged artists to consider the role of the arts in influencing behaviour, and how they can begin to inspire change within society through their work.

The project has recently published a conference report in an engaging and informative 30 page document.  This ‘Emergence’ document is now openly available as a free download,  both in English and Welsh, and provides an invaluable resource for all those working in the arts, and anyone interested in the development of sustainable practice within this field.

The document can be downloaded online through the Volcano website here:

http://www.volcanotheatre.co.uk/398/news/emergence-the-document.html#/image.php?id=321

The Emergence document collates inspiring and educative transcripts from expert speakers on the subject of climate change, fair resource use, well being and the transition towards a more connected sustainable society.

From scientist Jean Boulton to the artistic director of National Theatre Wales, John McGrath, the pioneering talks documented within ‘Emergence’ provide inspiration, information and practical ideas for artistic practitioners, venues and companies alike.

The value of the project and the report has been widely applauded, Louise Wright from British Council Wales says ‘Emergence has worked from the ground up…it has been a creative catalyst’.

The conferences have already kick started investigations into current practice – a study by Cardiff University measuring the environmental impact of ‘Night Out’, an Arts Council Touring Scheme, was initiated by Arts Council Wales following the conference.  During the launch event major key players such as The Wales Millennium Centre and Welsh National Opera agreed on the creation of a focus group to look at sustainable practise within these flagship organisations, actively supported by the Theatres Trust and Julies Bicycle.  In addition many individual delegates have changed behaviour and implemented new strategies to reduce their environmental impact, as the project continues to gather focus and momentum within Wales and beyond.

 

Of Farms and Fables shows beauty, struggle of family farming – Theater – Portland Phoenix

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FINDING THEIR PLACES Actors, including farm workers and their children, rehearse Of Farms and Fables.

An interesting show coming up in Portland, ME….

It’s all in a day’s work on a family farm. From pests to family strife to the game-changing scale of industrial farming, the challenges to the modern family farm are given unsentimentally resonant treatment in Open Waters Theatre Arts’ Of Farms and Fables, the theatrical culmination of several years of research and residencies on farms here in southern Maine.

With a script by Cory Tamler, direction by Jennie Hahn, and a cast that includes farm workers and children of farmers, this most recommended production runs October 27-30, at Camp Ketcha in Scarborough.

In Open Waters’ plain and simple billing, Of Farms and Fables is “a play about the people who bring you food.” A team of its actors, playwright, and director spent last summer working alongside those very people, the farmers and farm workers who sow and weed at Wm. H. Jordan, Broadturn, and Benson farms. After a season of learning their work, and of hearing their worries and joys, Open Waters’ artists turned to the task of making theater of the experience, to share with the public a nuanced look at the realities of family farming in the modern age.

via Of Farms and Fables shows beauty, struggle of family farming – Theater – Portland Phoenix.

Welcome to Engage by Design

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Engage by Design is our newest knowledge network partner. You will find all of their posts syndicated here, or you can head right over to their site here: Engage by Design

Engage by Design is a social enterprise developed through the final Master research of Rodrigo Bautista and Zoe Olivia John in sustainability and design. As a consultancy they specialize in strategic interventions that aim to support the transformation of your product or service into a more sustainable one.

Engage by Design’s research arm intends to act as a platform which enables dialogues and actions between a diverse range of disciplines around sustainability and design.

Rodrigo Bautista – Rodrigo is an Industrial Designer and has worked in many different industries including media, products, services and telecommunications. Today his work focuses on strategic interventions and tools to apply sustainability and design instruments within a company.

Zoë Olivia John – Zoë’s background in Fashion & Textiles has lead her into the research and development of better ways to integrate learning about sustainability for Higher Education students and tutors, particularly within the F&T programme. She is interested in finding new ways to readdress our value structure from one of linear economic quantity to one of circular quality.