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Current Exhibition

Lands and Symbiotic Futures 

October 3, 2024 - January 31, 2025

Gunter.Vicki-web.jpg

“ONE NEST - Canary & Elephant Series”, Vicki Gunter

“…Our babies are joining the cautionary canary-in-the-coal-mine….”

​The Call: 

Human relationships with lands and soils are deep and complex, sometimes based on listening and reciprocity, sometimes scarred by exploitation and toxicity. From colonization, war, and industrial agriculture, to reciprocity, stewardship, and respect; from minute microbial life to vast landscapes; lands and soils reflect choices to live in unity with, or in subjugation of the natural world.

We are interested in stories of land and soils and visions of the future, both ecological and cultural.
For this international online exhibition, WEAD seeks visual work and poetry/short literature that directly address these issues.

The jurors, Maru Garcia (for visual images), Kaylin Lemajeur (for literature) have made their selections. Accepted artists include:

Jane Ingram Allen, Salma Arastu, Mary Babcock, Sarah Bachinger, Christina Bertea, Katherine Binns, Barbara Boissevain, Lauren Bon, Lorraine Bonner, Bonnie Borucki, Caroline Borucki, Pamela Casper, Catherine Daley, Wendy DesChene, Carol Elkovich, Nancy Gesimondo, Reiko Goto and Tim Collins, Vicki Gunter, Kristie Hansen, Betsy Jaeger, Rhonda Janke, Cynthia Jensen, Elizabeth Kenneday, Maria Klos, Kate Kuaimoku, Petra Kuppers, Isabella La Rocca, Qinqin Liu, Angela Marsh, Perry Meigs, Judit Navratil, Jo Pearl, Abby Perry, Deanna Pindell, Pamela Pitt, Kamala Platt, Janet Powers, Lisa Reindorf, Joanne Ross, Eliza Thomas, Jen Urso, Emily Van Engel, Juniper Vaughn, Michelle Waters, Mary White, Alyssa Wigant, Anne Yoncha.

 

Thank you to all who submitted really excellent work.

Symbiotic Futures Panel

Art & Science Panel: What Can 'Symbiotic Futures' Look Like? 

Wednesday, January 29 from 5-6:30 pm PT

Symbiosis is the key word in both the exhibition title and in the panel title, but what does it mean really? There are slightly varying definitions, but we'll go loosely with: close, prolonged association between two or more different biological species for mutual benefit (mutualism); or one benefits, the other is not harmed (commensalism).

Bringing that high minded language down to earth, what does symbiosis actually look like "on the ground" and why would we humans want to participate? How can symbiotic relationships contribute to a future we would want?
 

We humans have a few urgent challenges:

  • Enough fresh water for all

  • The climate challenge of methane from rotting food "waste"

  • Massive amounts of resource-rich human excreta that is literally going to waste and causing harm

 

Perhaps collaborating with other beings/ lifeforms who have specialized skills and knowledge would be advantageous!
So, we've assembled a panel of experts for a fun and provocative look at the benefits of partnering with:

  • Wood eating rodent hydrological engineers

  • Kitchen scrap transforming earthworms and microbes

  • Kombucha SCOBIES (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and other esoteric lifeforms

  • Our own pee and poo

Maru Garcia, exhibition juror, artist and scientist, will share her art explorations including with SCOBIES and other organisms.
Kate Lundquist, fiber artist and ecologist of Occidental Arts & Ecology's Bring Back the Beaver Campaign, will bring beaver expertise into the conversation.
Kourtnii Brown, of California Alliance for Community Composting, will share about local vermi-composting of kitchen scraps ("squirmiculture")
Julia Cavicchi, of Rich Earth Institute, will illuminate how we can partner with our own bodily 'produce', especially our pee, for benefit of all

Panelists will address how art is being woven into these efforts Be sure to tune in to this inspiring peek into our potential futures!
 

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