Artists for an oil-free coast

 

 Notes from the Field - A conservation update from the Great Bear Rainforest

 Artists for an oil-free coast

by Mark Hobson, Artist and Project Coordinator


 

Fifty artists – some of Canada’s most celebrated and many who are First Nations – are taking up paintbrushes and carving tools next month to portray Canada’s magnificent Pacific coast, one we believe is threatened by Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project.

Over a two-week period in June, artists are being supported by coastal lodges, tour boat operators and businesses that have donated or discounted their services so we can access some of the most spectacular, yet remote locations on BC’s central and north coasts.

Our goal is to bring attention to the dramatic beauty and fragile diversity at risk if tankers are permitted to ship tar sands oil through the coast’s narrow and rocky channels.

Photos of the resulting art will be published later this fall in a stunning book. The original artworks, donated by the artists, will become part of a travelling art show that crosses the country to raise public awareness of this amazing coast and why it needs to be kept oil-free.

The desire by artists to join the project has been overwhelming. We are united in the conclusion that a tanker grounding or collision would have an impact that far exceeds anything ever experienced on Canada’s shorelines. If this region becomes an oil corridor, a catastrophic spill is only a matter of time.

Getting fifty artists into remote areas of BC’s coast is a challenging task, both logistically and financially. The process of publishing the book and touring the art will be equally demanding. To do this, Raincoast needs to raise a significant amount of money.

We are half way to our fundraising goal as a result of the incredible generosity of a few special individuals. We need your help to make this – and our vision for an oil-free coast – a reality. Thank you for your support.

For the coast, Mark

 

50 ARTISTS TAKE UP BRUSHES FOR  AN OIL-FREE COAST

Canadian artists are joining forces to draw, paint, sculpt, carve and protect BC’s wild and beloved coast.

 

CANADA’S RAINCOAST AT RISK:      ART FOR AN OIL-FREE COAST

The book, with a forward by David Suzuki and afterword by Wade Davis, depicts the art, place, people, wildlife and what’s at stake. It will be released in Nov 2012.

 

Raincoast Conservation Foundation PO Box 2429 Sidney, BC, Canada V8L 3Y3 Tel: (250) 655-1229
Web: raincoast.org  Get more information about this exciting initiative at

ARTISTS FOR AN OIL FREE COAST

About Raincoast

   
Roy Henry Vickers: I come to only one conclusion. I would rather be a spirit than a human that allowed this to happen.Mae Moore: There is only one choice…to stand up for that which inspires and sustains us all.Robert Bateman: This is one of the most rich and beautiful biotic zones on planet Earth and it could be utterly destroyed.

 

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You can help

Raincoast’s in-house scientists, collaborating graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors make us unique among conservation groups. We work with First Nations, academic institutions, government, and other NGOs to build support and inform decisions that protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them. We conduct ethically applied, process-oriented, and hypothesis-driven research that has immediate and relevant utility for conservation deliberations and the collective body of scientific knowledge.

We investigate to understand coastal species and processes. We inform by bringing science to decision-makers and communities. We inspire action to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats.

Coastal wolf with a salmon in its month.
Photo by Dene Rossouw.