Watersheds

Interview about EcoArt South Florida

December 4, 2011EcoArt South FloridaArt Practice, Arts And Culture, Beach Waterfront, Broad Support, Ecoart, Ecological Art, Environmental Stewardship, Florida Volunteers, Heat Island Effect, Lincoln Road, Mangrove, Multitalented Artist, Palm Beach, Performance Pieces, Philanthropic Organizations, Scale Performance, Stakeholder Group, Watersheds, West Palm Beach, Xavier Cortada

EcoArt on the West Palm Beach waterfront. Michael Springer served as the primary designer of this project, completed in 2010. This work is a significant example of the cross disciplinary work of a sculptor who has been doing large scale infrastructure related environmentally sensitive art for decades.

DCA: Tell us about EcoArt South Florida.

EcoArt South Florida: EcoArt South Florida encourages broad support for environmental stewardship within communities by involving citizens of all ages and demonstrating innovative and aesthetically striking ways to create and save energy, reduce heat island effect, capture and reuse stormwater and many other positive approaches to enhancing the health of our interrelated ecosystems. EcoArt (short for ecological art) is not a new art practice. It is only new here in Florida!

Volunteers collect seeds as a part of EcoArtist Xavier Cortada’s installation on Lincoln Road in Miami. Cortada is a multitalented artist whose projects to restore Florida’s urban canopies and mangrove stands are large scale performance pieces involving hundreds of non artist volunteers, government agencies and philanthropic organizations. (photo submitted by EcoArt South Florida)

Cortada’s EcoArt installation on Lincoln Road in Miami. (photo submitted by EcoArt South Florida)

DCA: How does EcoArt encourage the public, and in particular, elected officials, to incorporate arts and culture into everyday life?

EcoArt South Florida: EcoArt South Florida intends to assist targeted communities to establish â€œEcoArt Nodesâ€ in each of South Floridaâ€™s five watersheds by 2015. We define an EcoArt Node asÂ a committed group of stakeholders, with a strong organization at its center (either as its own nonprofit, or as a subunit of an existing organization) dedicated to growing EcoArt and supporting emerging EcoArtists in their locale.Â An important stakeholder group that must always be included as each EcoArt Node is established, are elected and career officials of municipal and county governments.

The locations for our EcoArt Nodes have been scientifically identified by ourÂ GIS study of all five watersheds in South Florida, completed for us by Dartmouth Collegeâ€™s department of geography undergraduate students, Spring, 2011.

EcoArt South Floridaâ€™s comprehensive community education program and artist apprenticeshipÂ is specifically designed to engage key communities in best ways to establish and support strong EcoArt practices in their areas. We will work with the communities identified as EcoArt Nodes to field this program which will be the basis for ongoing development and support of EcoArt practice.

In addition to establishment of targeted EcoArt Nodes, starting in early 2012, EcoArt South Florida Board and Advisory Committee members will begin to meet where they live, with county and city officials.

To date, the only municipality in Florida we are aware of that has done this is Boynton Beach. Credit goes to Boyntonâ€™s Mayor and Commissioners for establishing a Green Alliance of local citizens involved in Green urban and community development that recommended key elements of a Green Ordinance for the city. EcoArt South Florida was a member of this alliance. The resulting new ordinance Includes mention of EcoArt at various places. We are delighted to encourage our city and county officials to follow the lead of Boynton Beach in assuring that EcoArt is included as their communities develop creative ways to â€œgo green.â€

Follow the link to learn more about how EcoArt has been integrated intoÂ Boyntonâ€™s many new green initiatives, please contact the administrator of Art in Public PlacesÂ Debby Coles-Dobay.

Jackie Brookner (NY) and Angelo Ciotti (PA) are EcoArtists embedded in design team for restoration of West Palm Beach’s largest urban green space, Dreher Park, revamped from 2002-2005 to expand water retention. Features “BioSculpture” ™ in new retention pond which cleans waters with plants on the sculpture’s surface, sculptural earthen mounds reminiscent of indigenous people’s shell mounds, created from dirt excavated to create a large new retention pond, and a learning garden featuring plants used by inhabitants over a thousand year period to the present. (photo submitted by EcoArt South Florida)

DCA:Â What does EcoArt do for South Florida?

EcoArt South Florida: EcoArt practice has many identities. All contribute to the community. Most involve the community at every level of the planning, design and creation of EcoArt projects.

In addition to our consultations with communities we have identified as EcoArt Nodes, and continuing to develop our pilot community education and artist apprenticeship program, EcoArt South Florida is also currently working on three program aspects that we believe have great potential for inspiration, education and engagement of the public:

First, the integration of Public EcoArt at the design stage of urban buildings and neighborhoods that will be seeking LEED or other green certification.Â EcoArt South Florida is working with the South Florida chapter of the US Green Building Council on this.
Secondly, engaging EcoArt with greening the public schoolyard. EcoArt South Florida has been reaching out to public school districts, teachers and administrators through the annual LEARN GREEN conferences; and we are in the process of working with a math and science middle school to develop what will probably be the first comprehensive outdoor classroom in South Florida.
And finally, modeling a new kind of urban streetscape featuring a variety of Florida native canopy trees (instead of the â€œmonocultureâ€ approach currently used) and understory vegetation that encourages the return of pollinators and birds.Â EcoArt South Florida is involved with a consortium of organizations developing a pilot of this kind of streetscape. Our partners include the grass roots West Palm Beach organization Northwood GREENlife that is taking the lead, the Palm Beach chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, 1000 Friends of Florida and the Center for Creative Education. In addition to the creation of a multiple-species Florida native urban forest pilot streetscape that can be replicated widely, the project will also incorporate arts: sculpture, ceramics, video, storytelling, performance and a community celebratory procession/parade once the planting has been completed.

EcoArt South Florida believes EcoArt will not prosper in our region unless public officials, both elected and career, and our colleagues in the building, development and planning professions are given incentives to do so. It is for this reason that we will be focusing heavily over the next year to two years on insertion of EcoArt within city and county green ordinances as has been done in Boynton Beach.

DCA: What does the future of EcoArt hold for Florida?
EcoArt South Florida: We believe Florida can become one ofÂ theÂ key centers for EcoArt practice. EcoArt South Florida is dedicated to making this happen. And this is as it should be. As we point out on our website, engagement of art and culture with environmental issues is still not widely done anywhere, not only in Florida. This is a shame, because, as those of us involved in the arts professions know well, art has the potential to inspire, educate and engage in so many ways. This inspiration and engagement will be necessary if we are to address successfully the many serious implications of climate change. And we have very little time to do this. Art is a form of knowledge, just as important as science. Unfortunately art and artists have not been adequately engaged with science in the struggle to bring our valuable ecologies back to health. Now is the time to bring EcoArt to the task.

DCA: Why do you believe arts and culture are important in the lives of Floridians and visitors to our state?
EcoArt South Florida: Art creates culture and has for as long as human being have inhabited the earth. The best time to have begun to bring art to the task of healing our fragile ecologies was many decades ago. The second best time is now. Florida needs us. The planet needs us. Letâ€™s get to work applying artistic imagination and creativity in tandem with scientific advances to the challenges that face us.

EcoArt Treasure Coast Apprentices Rock OUT with “Floating Islands”

June 17, 2010newsApprentices, Arts Organizations, Community Foundation, Community Volunteers, Disptach, Ecoart, Environmental Specialists, Environmental Studies Center, Floating Islands, Fos, Martin Counties, Oceanographic Institute, Palm Beach, Public Education, Responsive Approach, Salt Water Lagoon, Thomas Winter, Treasure Coast, Video Documentation, Watersheds, Winter Thanks

A Disptach from South Florida Â EcoArt Projects:

VERY EXCITING!! A new video has just been finished. We wanted to bring it to you right away!!
See below for the link!

How quickly our EcoArt apprentices are making contacts and enlisting talent! This most recent effort in documenting theÂ apprentices’ projects was made possible by well known Treasure Coast photographerÂ Thomas Winter…THANKS, TOM!

ThisÂ first project byÂ EcoArt Treasure Coast apprentices demonstrates very clearly exactly how SFEAPÂ expects EcoArt to spread across South Florida. First, artists interested inÂ “trying on” EcoArt practice are recruited.

Second, with the help of an experienced EcoArt practitioner (in this case,Â Betsy Damon) these artists begin to learn what is involved…research, enlistment of community volunteers and collaboration from scientists and environmental specialists.

Third, seeking partnerships with local environmentalÂ and arts organizations (in this case, the famedÂ Florida Oceanographic Instituteand theÂ Environmental Studies Center, both located on the Treasure Coast in Martin County).

Fourth, developing an aesthetically interesting and environmentally responsive approach to a particular problem at a particular site, and producing it fully (in this case, an artificial research oriented salt water “lagoon” used by the FOS for experiments and public education–the lagoon needed a natural way to keep the water clean).

Fifth, informing the public of what has been accomplished (in this case video documentation and interviews with participating apprentices and community volunteers).

KUDOS, Ecoart Treasure Coast apprentices!! You are on the mark as we work together to bring thisÂ model to all South Florida’s watersheds.

Mary Jo Aagerstoun

**EcoArt Treasure Coast is a collaboration between SFEAP, Inc. and the Arts Council of Martin County, funded by the Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties and the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and private donations.

EcoArt ApprenticesÂ Â Demonstrate Water-cleaningÂ Floating Islands ClickÂ HERE to see NEW Video about EcoArt Treasure Coast Apprentices’ “Floating Island” project at the Florida Oceanographic InstituteÂ **EcoArt Treasure Coast is a collaborative project of the Arts Council, Inc. (Martin County) and the South Florida Environmental Art Project Inc.Â It is the first of a series of community EcoArt community education and apprenticeship projects that will be organized in each of South Florida ‘s major watersheds by SFEAP, Inc. InitialÂ funding for EcoArt Treasure Coast by the Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties, and the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs.

IT”S :HERE!!! EcoArt Treasure Coast Apprentices Rock OUT with “Floating Islands”.

APInews: Seattle Celebrates Urban Creeks, Watersheds

July 9, 2009newsArt Project, Bitter Lake Reservoir, Cultural Affairs, Fremont Bridge, Kristen, Neighborhood Art, Public Artworks, Seattle Office, Seattle Public Utilities, Short Films, Splendor, Spring And Summer, Stewardship, Towles, Urban Creeks, Volunteer Park, Water Flow, Water Tower, Watersheds

Scores of Seattleites have been crocheting for months to create artist Mandy Greer’s “Mater Matrix Mother and Medium,” a 200-foot fiber “river” among the trees at Camp Long. Greerr installs the piece this week at Polliwog Pond. It’s part of a spring and summer of temporary public artworks, performances and films commissioned by the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs “to celebrate the splendor of Seattle’s urban creeks” and encourage stewardship of essential watersheds. They include “Waterlines,” a performance in Volunteer Park where Stokley Towles traces the city’s water flow through interviews with city utility employees; a large, biodegradable water tower at the Bitter Lake Reservoir by John Grade; artists’ new short films on the work of Seattle Public Utilities; and a residency on the Fremont Bridge, plus a neighborhood art project, by Kristen Ramirez.

via APInews: Seattle Celebrates Urban Creeks, Watersheds.

The Rising Tide Conference Floats Many Boats

April 26, 2009newsAesthetics, Architectural Design, Arks, Biologists, California College Of The Arts, College Of The Arts, Design Ideas, Diverse Group, Garrett, Gass, Great Artists, Ilk, Land Managers, Public Policy Experts, Rising Tide, Stanford University, Sustainable Practice, Watersheds, Wishful Thinking, Worms

Rising Tide Conference

Last weekend, I was at the Rising Tide Conference: Art and Ecological Aesthetics, hosted by the California College of the Arts and Stanford University and was on a panel talking about the importance of art in any vision of human sustainability. I emphasized the notion that if weâ€™re going to make art that is supposedly also â€œfor the Earthâ€ that we better think about what the Earth might actually need, otherwise itâ€™s just green paint or wishful thinking. It might be helpful to consider art for human and non-human needs from beginning to end (materials, making and where it goes after weâ€™re done with it, and after that). What would the worms and watersheds actually notice and appreciate? They had a very diverse group of speakers and some fun architectural design ideas floating around. Met some great artists in person (finally) who Iâ€™ve been wanting to connect with: Linda Gass and Ian Garrett of The Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts, to name just a few. Itâ€™s good to interconnect and jabber at these things but we need more biologists, land managers, business people and public policy experts at these conferences. All of you in those fields, please consider inviting eco-artists and their ilk to your next conference and vice versa. We need to be building ever-larger arks people. NOAA indeedâ€¦

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