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April 2009
Volume 2 Issue 3
SFEAP NEWS
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What in the world do water flow forms, an oyster bed in a dock, free fresh fruit, mangrove propagules, front yard landscaping, months on the Ohio River and talks on slow food have to do with ECOART?? You can find out at a double exhibition at the Court House Cultural Center in Stuart. The exhibition is part of Ecoart Treasure Coast, a collaborative ecoart education project fielded jointly by the Arts Council of Martin County and SFEAP and funded by the Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties!!

Friends and neighbors here in South Florida, if you missed part of the launch of Ecoart Treasure Coast with its events April 2-5: symposium, film series and/or exhibition opening...good news!! You will still be able to see the exhibition which is up until May 9th. Far away SFEAP friends and supporters who can't get down here, please read on below for a report on Ecoart Treasure Coast, the first ever ecoart education program in Florida!!

To see the two shows: EPA-Environmental Performance Actions and Xavier Cortada's Reclamation Project, go to the Court House Cultural Center on Ocean Avenue in Stuart which is open daily Monday-Friday 10-4 through May 9th, and Nancy Turrell, the Martin County Arts Council Executive Director encourages you to call and request an appointment if it is more convenient for you to come another time. Call: 772-287-6676.

FLASH!! On May 7th, 5 PM-8 PM, there will be a special reception for Martin County artists who wish to learn more about ecoart and about Ecoart Treasure Coast's artist apprenticeship program and see the exhibition before it closes. SFEAP supporters are cordially invited to come!
How Exciting! The launch of Ecoart Treasure Coast, April 2-May 9th, SFEAP's first time out with our community ecoart education/artist ecoart apprenticeship model program is being met with great enthusiasm.

We started out April 2nd with an all day symposium featuring the dynamism of greenmuseum.org's Sam Bower who provided the context for the three ecoartists who followed: Michael Singer, Xavier Cortada and Betsy Damon. Betsy will be the mentor artist for the SFEAP-Arts Council ecoart apprenticeship program for Martin County artists that will begin in late Fall, 2009 and run through January, 2010. Attendance was superb, with Martin County artists, engineers, architects, landscape architects, public officials, community leaders, educators, funding organizations, arts supporters and some hardy souls from as far away as Miami and Dallas!!

Check out a short slide show

The symposium was filmed, and will be edited to 15 minutes and shown repeatedly on local Martin County TV as well as being available on greenmuseum.org, the Arts Council and SFEAP websites in the near future.

On Thursday evening the opening of a double bill exhibition: EPA: Environmental Performance Actions, borrowed from Exit Art in NYC (and curated by Amy Lipton and Tricia Watts of ecoartspace) and Xavier Cortada's Reclamation Project attracted a large and enthusiastic crowd.

A Martin County version of the coastal reforestation aspect of the Reclamation Project will begin its own life at propagulesthe end of the exhibition (May 9th) when the 450 mangrove propagules lining the walls of one gallery room at the Stuart Courthouse Cultural Center will be taken down and installed in the windows of local downtown Stuart businesses, "adopted," cared for and available for the edification of the general public until the Fall when they will be planted at Walton Scrub. At that time, more propagules will be harvested and installed and cared for at a botanical garden until time to be harvested again, and the cycle will continue.

The urban reforestation aspect of Xavier's Reclamation Project will also begin as the exhibition ends, with the adoption of 6 trees and the planting of the distinctive green "native flags," claiming the land flagswhere the trees are planted "for nature." The trees' "adoptive parents" will be Martin County residents who live in areas particularly well suited to either upland or coastal native canopy trees. This aspect of Xavier's reforestation ecoart project will also continue in perpetuity.

Friday through Sunday saw a series of film showings accompanied by panel discussions. Each of five film showings featured two films, one a documentary about a particular water-oriented environmental issue, and the second a glimpse of an ecoart practice that addresses that issue. Each film discussion panel included three Martin County citizens: an artist, a scientist or a public official. See a full description of the films shown as well as the entire program HERE

The Ecoart Treasure Coast partner committee is now working on the next phase of the project: The Ecoart Apprenticeship. For a full description of this SFEAP model ecoart apprenticeship program, click HERE Martin County artists are encouraged to apply. Deadline for applications is September 15, 2009. Download information about and application for the apprenticeship HERE.