The 2012 ALECC Conference will be focused on “place†as an embodied, embedded, troubling, elusive, contested, personal, political, and ecological site in which space + memory = place, in an astonishingly complex range of ways.
The Okanagan was chosen as the location for this conference as it contains one of the most endangered ecosystems in Canada and it is home to a vital indigenous culture, the Syilx or Okanagan Nation. Place is acknowledged through the co-hosting of the conference by Okanagan College and the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus. The conference (August 9 – 12) will take place in the largest community in the Okanagan—Kelowna—with workshops and events in Penticton at Okanagan College’s internationally acclaimed zero-carbon footprint building and at the post-secondary indigenous educational institution, the En’owkin Centre
Publication
The ALECC publishes twice a year an online journal,The Goose, with diverse sections, reflecting the contributions and suggestions they receive:
Editor´s Notebook
Reviews and Lists of New/Upcoming Publications
Edge Effects
Canadian Regional Feature
The Graduate Network:
Scatterings
If you want to know more about The Goose, contribute or read their previous issues, visit http://www.alecc.ca/goose.php
Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.
Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.
The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:
– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)
Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21
The Environmental Justice League is a community theatre project housed in the Los Angeles City Council District 10. For 8 weeks, they have met on Saturdays to develop their writing and performance skills to create an original theater piece on environmental justice. The ethnically diverse members of the group range from 20 to 90 years old and  they conduct their rehearsals in English, Spanish and Korean.
They invite all to come watch the sharing of their works in progress. Come see as they transform an outdoor amphitheater into a magic bus that will take you on a ride through the present and future of climate, food, transit and environmental justice.
The performance will be at 5:30 PM, Saturday June 16th, 2012.
The location for the performance is the William Grant Still Art Center at 2520 West View Street, Los Angeles, CA 90016.Â
HeatWave: LA’s Theatre Community Commits to the Environment.
Register here to attend the HeatWave conference on June 9th by clicking here!
HeatWave is a project which brings together the professional Los Angeles Theatre Community – writers, devised theatre makers and producing theatre companies – to confront and grapple with environmental issues, including Climate Change and issues of Environmental Justice.
HeatWave is designed to generate new works and connect the Theatre Community to the Environmental Community, as well as promote and facilitate greener practices in operations and production.
Join us for our kick-off day-long event at TreePeople’s Conference Center in Coldwater Canyon Park.
Declaration of the Occupation of New York, 2011, Rachel Schragis (links to artist)
My Attempts at Being Green, Rachel Schragis
Artist Rachel Schragis created the Flow Chart of the Declaration of the Occupation. The media keep criticising the occupation movement for not having a clear message. That’s the media’s problem (always wanting to simplify everything, one message). What Schragis has done is capture the complexity of issues underpinning questions of social and environmental justice. She has succeeded in representing unintended consequences. She has mapped the externalities associated with corporate greed. The work below addresses the personal version of these challenges.
Heath Bunting explores issues of identity and also uses flow charts and diagrams in his STATUS project.
ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA -Â May 31-June 3, 2012
CALL FOR PAPERS AND PROPOSALS
Ecology is at the heart of burgeoning creativity and interdisciplinary scholarship across the arts and humanities. This Symposium, together with the concurrent EMOS Playwrights’ Festival, invites artists, scholars and activists to share their work, ideas, and passions with one another and with the larger community who attend the Festival.
We welcome creative and innovative proposals for workshops, round-tables, panels, working sessions, installations, or participatory community gatherings that explore, examine, challenge, articulate, or nourish the possibilities of theatrical and performative responses to the environmental crisis in particular, and our ecological relationships in general. We encourage proposals that go beyond a recitation of ideas or positions, and instead bring presenters and participants together as they engage the driving question of how theatre has or might function as part of our reciprocal relationship with ecological communities.
Possible topics for exploration include: land and body in performance; representations of bioregionalism; eco-literacy; representation of/and environmental justice; green theatre production; old cultural narratives/new stories; indigenous performance; community-based performance/ecological communities; sensing place/staging place; the ecologies of theatrical form and/or space; animal representation; and application of ecocriticism to plays, performance and culture.
Please email a one-page (250 word max.) proposal and/or abstract by November 1, 2011 to:
Prof. Wendy Arons
School of Drama ~ Carnegie Mellon University
warons@andrew.cmu.edu
Please include:
Type of session & title;
Your preferred type of space (classroom, theatre, studio, or outdoors);
Time-length (60 min; 90 min; half-day);
Ideal or maximum number of participants;
Short bios of presenter(s).
For more information about the EMOS Festival and Symposium at Carnegie Mellon University in 2012, see http://pages.uoregon.edu/ecodrama/.
The next ‘Sustainable Solutions for a Fair Future’ talk will take place on Thursday 29th September in the Arcola Tent. Our speaker this time will be:
Maria Adebowale, who is the founder and director of the environmental justice organisation: Capacity Global. She will be talking about Capacity Global and how they aim to support every ones right to a clean and healthy environment by supporting strong, diverse and multi cultural community action as well as providing innovative thinking on the opportunities for environmental justice and equality, policy, research, campaigns and legislation.
Maria was recently listed in The Independent on Sunday’s –Top 100 Environmentalists.She works on environmental justice and environmental equality policy. She has a Masters in Public International Law from SOAS, University of London. Maria is also the author of numerous publications in environmental justice and equality and the principal author of The Third Sector Climate Change Declaration. She is also the Access and Inclusion Commissioner for English Heritage, a trustee for Allavida, Matron of the Women’s Environment Network and Chair of Waterwise. She is a former Commissioner on the UK Sustainable Development Commission..
a project of SEA (Social Environmental Aesthetics)
September 30-November 23, 2011
Opening Friday September 30, 2011/7-9pm
141 Eyewear, Jiasian, Taiwan Eye Clinic, Photo courtesy of Kyle Yamaguchi and 141 Eyewear
NEW YORK – Exit Art is pleased to announce NEW MONEY: Business Models for a Sustainable Future, a project of SEA (Social Environmental Aesthetics). This exhibition of videos, photographs, and socially conscious products highlights more than a dozen companies with business models that have environmental and social consciousness at their core, emphasizing sustainability and social responsibility. The companies and organizations included in the exhibit approach markets in new and innovative ways that foster cooperation, awareness, social and environmental justice, sustainability, philanthropy, stewardship, and humanitarianism.
The One for One business model is as simple as it sounds: for each good purchased, a good is donated to those in need. With this “buy one, give one†philosophy, businesses enable their consumers to give something back in a transparent manner. Unlike other charity concepts, the One for One idea incorporates a form of philanthropy directly into its business model, proving that profitability and charity don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Though this concept may seem economically risky, many One for One businesses have been successful in pinning their hopes on the consumer’s conscience and willingness to pay more for their product in order to support a cause.
Building on human rights, Fair Trade businesses aim to ensure fair wages for producers in developing countries, which enable them to cover the basics of food, shelter, clothing, education, and medical care. By doing so, Fair Trade businesses directly counter poverty, the exploitation of workers, and “race to the bottom†practices. The Fair Trade model not only fosters direct person-to-person connections between businesses and producers but also intends to strengthen communities involved in the production of their goods. Many Fair Trade businesses support cooperative systems, in which producers hold shares in the business, enjoy equal returns from the market, and contribute to the decision making process. Often, revenues are reinvested into community development projects and education and empowerment programs.
Bartering networks enable individuals to offer their own resources in exchange for things or services they need. Instead of isolated competition, this business model strengthens the power of sharing and fosters a respect for skills and service. It also establishes a system for the reuse of goods based not on their monetary value but on the individual’s appreciation and need for the product. Mutual respect and trust are therefore key elements in the bartering system. While the monetary system has made exchange infinitely easier than the difficult task of matching one person’s needs with another’s resources in a small community, the rise of the Internet has enabled bartering networks to create larger markets where it is much simpler to match trading partners.
The impact of enormous economic and population growth, urbanization, and rapid consumption have led to climate change, ozone depletion, the fouling of natural resources, and the loss of biodiversity. Businesses built around the concept of sustainability make an enduring commitment to ecological principles in order to stop this environmental exploitation. By incorporating environmentally friendly practices into their production processes, these “green†enterprises strive to have little or no negative impact on the global or local environment. Instead the aim is to establish a balanced and non-exploitative relationship with the ecosphere, in which waste is properly disposed of and harmful emissions are reduced.
The majority of formal banks provide few financial services to low-income individuals. In some countries, more than 80 percent of the population has no access to financial services, making it difficult to start a business, buy a home, or attend school. Microfinancing attempts to fill that gap, by offering a way for individuals to lend money to impoverished people in order to help with sudden needs. Average people who want to support a specific project provide micro-loans; the microfinancing organization serves as an intermediary between recipient and lender and provides accountability and transparency for the transactions. By supporting an emerging low-income business, the lender receives his or her money back with an interest rate.
Social Economy Networks are development projects that form the missing link between different types of sustainable businesses. Committed to establishing an alternative economy, these networks aim to strengthen the relationships between bartering networks, fair trade shops and socially just businesses. Whereas some Social Economy Networks function as platforms for partnerships, others share their expertise and develop business models that serve as inspiration for other enterprises. Through education programs, lectures, or trade shows, they also raise awareness about sustainable business practices and demonstrate that a social and sustainable economy is possible.
NEW MONEY: Business Models for a Sustainable Future was conceived by Wilson Duggan and organized by Lauren Rosati and Verena Straub.
ABOUT EXIT ART Exit Art is an independent vision of contemporary culture. We are prepared toreact immediately to important issues that affect our lives. We do experimental, historical and unique presentations of aesthetic, social, political and environmental issues. We absorb cultural differences that become prototype exhibitions. We are a center for multiple disciplines. Exit Art is a 29-year-old cultural center in New York City founded by Directors Jeanette Ingberman and artist Papo Colo, that has grown from a pioneering alternative art space, into a model artistic center for the 21st century committed to supporting artists whose quality of work reflects the transformations of our culture. Exit Art is internationally recognized for its unmatched spirit of inventiveness and consistent ability to anticipate the newest trends in the culture. With a substantial reputation for curatorial innovation and depth of programming in diverse media, Exit Art is always changing.
ABOUT SEA (Social-Environmental Aesthetics) SEA is a diverse multimedia exhibition program that addresses social and environmental concerns. It assembles artists, activists, scientists and scholars through presentations of visual art, performances, panels and lecture series that communicate international activities concerning environmental and social activism. It provides a vehicle through which the public can be made aware of socially- and environmentally-engaged work, and a forum for collaboration among artists, scientists, activists, scholars and the public. SEA functions as an initiative where individuals can join together in dialogue about issues that affect our daily lives. Conceived by Exit Art Co-Founder / Artistic Director Papo Colo.
EXHIBITION SUPPORT
General exhibition support provided by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; Bloomberg LP; Jerome Foundation; Lambent Foundation; Pollock-Krasner Foundation; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn; and public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts.
EXIT ART 475 Tenth Ave at 36th St NYC / 212-966-7745 / www.exitart.org
Open Tu–Th, 10am–6pm; Fr, 10am–8pm; Sa, 12–6pm. $5 suggested donation.
“Amplify Action: Sustainability through the Artsâ€Â will be presented in Spring 2012 by the Skylight Gallery, a department of BSRC’s Center for Arts and Culture. The exhibition is conceived to demonstrate how arts, culture and media are powerful catalysts for social change, and aims to engage neighborhoods in a dialogue about sustainable living, making healthy consumer choices, and taking environmental action. Works in the exhibit will directly and indirectly examine the different components of sustainability such as, but not limited to: ecology, economy, equity, environmental consciousness, resource conservation and efficiency, agriculture, architecture, infrastructure, environmental justice and health.
The exhibition “Amplify Action: Sustainability through the Arts,” is a collaborative project of the Pratt Center for Community Development, Pratt Institute’s Initiative for Arts, Community and Social Change (IACSC), and the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation. The project is a part of the Arts Implementation Fund of the Pratt Center, recently established through a generous grant from the Rockefeller Foundation’s NYC Cultural Innovation Fund. The projects of the Arts Implementation Fund, in partnership with community based organizations in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Cypress Hills create projects that support the execution of visual and performance art works created by local artists, artist groups, and artists abroad that promote a civic dialogue about community sustainability.
Sustainability. After the Rio Earth Summit 1992, I was impassioned about this challenging aspiration, with head and heart. Many of us struggled over complicated diagrams, wanting to encompass everything. We talked about ecological systems and the need for the sacred and spiritual, the connectedness of all. We explored social and environmental justice and quality and equality – with diversity. Models and metaphors came and went, bees in a beehive.
Now I see this challenge of understanding the potential and power of sustainability in a more intimate way. And I suspect that the full and inspiring notion of sustainability (sometimes understood but often not) is showing a way, a direction for the human species to evolve, if we can.
As I write this there is a sweet pea, picked this morning, beside me. A soft fresh fragrance. This flower is creamy pale with a purple, or even nearing indigo, fine edging on the petals. It looks and feels precise, very clear yet fragile. It moves in the air coming through the door. The flower is here today but gone tomorrow, the plant goes on and I shall gather seed. It is everyday and uniquely precious.
I accept that my sweet pea is not really a helpful metaphor for sustainability but for today, now, it enlightens me and reminds me of my relationship within all else. And how I could be more human. And that’s where my quest to understand has got to. I suspect it will move on again, soon.
“ashdenizen blog and twitter are consistently among the best sources for information and reflection on developments in the field of arts and climate change in the UK” (2020 Network)
The editors are Robert Butler and Wallace Heim. The associate editor is Kellie Gutman. The editorial adviser is Patricia Morison.
Robert Butler’s most recent publication is The Alchemist Exposed (Oberon 2006). From 1995-2000 he was drama critic of the Independent on Sunday. See www.robertbutler.info
Wallace Heim has written on social practice art and the work of PLATFORM, Basia Irland and Shelley Sacks. Her doctorate in philosophy investigated nature and performance. Her previous career was as a set designer for theatre and television/film.
Kellie Gutman worked with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture for twenty years, producing video programmes and slide presentations for both the Aga Khan Foundation and the Award for Architecture.
Patricia Morison is an executive officer of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, a group of grant-making trusts of which the Ashden Trust is one.
The Environmental Justice League is a community theatre project housed in the Los Angeles City Council District 10. For 8 weeks, they have met on Saturdays to develop their writing and performance skills to create an original theater piece on environmental justice. The ethnically diverse members of the group range from 20 to 90 years old and  they conduct their rehearsals in English, Spanish and Korean.
