Artwork

Art can inspire, educate, encourage self-reflection, and build community cohesion. Artists are key interpreters of our world, helping to contextualize and clarify emotion (such as climate grief), interpret and illuminate science (such as mycorrhizal networks and sea level rise), and encourage action and engagement (through personal or community story). Artists are key participants in the conversation about nature-based solutions and climate.

We have invited a selection of Canadian artists, whose work straddles the science/art divide, to contribute research creation projects. Each artist was asked to create a piece that engages with nature-based solutions, and to present the work to their community.

Five artists have been commissioned to date. Here are their projects:

Urban Watersheds
Colton Hash is a digital artist residing on Lewungen territories. His work is inspired by the wild and anthropogenic landscapes that surround him.

Return Address
Erin Robinsong and Merlin Sheldrake are, respectively, a poet and interdisciplinary artist working with the ecological imagination, and a biologist and writer.

• Kirstie McCallum, a poet and sculptor who uses critical theory and art to position human culture within the complexity of the natural world. Kirstie held a free event in Charlottetown PEI on August 26, 2023.
• Rande Cook, a Kwakwaka’wakw multimedia artist born in Alert Bay, BC, whose work seeks to unify environment, people, and planet. Rande held a feast and gathering for his Nation in Alert Bay on August 24.

As each artist’s project concludes, their work and documentation of their community engagement will be showcased here.