Community Arts and the Environment / L’art communautaire et l’environnement
September / septembre 2016
How are community-engaged arts initiatives focusing attention on the environment or making green practices part of their work? These inspiring projects and programs help keep materials out of the landfill, use arts to help residents shift perspectives on green spaces and parks, explore land-based relationships through the arts, raise public awareness, and get people out into nature!
De quelle manière les organismes d’art communautaires s’intéressent-ils à la question de l’environnement ? Comment intègrent-ils des pratiques vertes à leur travail ? Nous vous présentons des projets inspirants qui contribuent à détourner des matières réutilisables du dépotoir ou qui utilisent l’art pour donner un autre regard sur les espaces verts et les parcs, pour explorer la relation avec le territoire, sensibiliser les gens ou les amener dans la nature !
Focus On Nature [ON]
We envision a world where our connections to nature create a healthy, flourishing planet. We see a critical role for the arts in fostering these connections. Working with a team of professional photographers and teachers, Focus on Nature brings this arts-ecology program into schools to reach kids who might not otherwise have opportunities for specialized arts instruction or nature experience.
With the goal of engaging kids in learning through nature photography, the kids are given cameras to use, taught the creative elements of photography, and taken on photography field trips to explore and document local natural environments. The beauty of the cameras is that they inspire these young people to go outside, and to look at nature in a different way, up close and with eyes wide open. Find out more here
The Eco-Art Incubator [BC]
Art can have a transformative effect on world views. Our long-term goal is to bring artistic ways of knowing into the discussion around development and conservation in the Okanagan valley, a region under much environmental pressure.
Most of the work we do is community-based. We engage communities through art practices of diverse kinds through creating, co-creating, facilitating, curating, and supporting visual art, digital media, literary, performance and multi-disciplinary works.
Additionally, we support approaches that are friendly to indigenous research methodologies, or that pass the test of the 4R’s; relationship, respect, relevance and reciprocity. View more than 35 projects. More info here
Art Hives' Le Pot de Miel-Household Creative Reuse Centre [QC]
Le Pot de miel des Ruches d’art est un centre de récupération créative de matériaux domestiques réutilisables où les art-thérapeutes, les enseignants d’arts plastiques et autres responsables de ruches d’art peuvent s’approvisionner gratuitement en matériel pour des projets artistiques communautaires. C’est une façon de favoriser une économie du partage et des pratiques artistiques écologiquement durables puisqu’au lieu d’envoyer ce matériel au dépotoir, on le partage gratuitement dans le but de rendre les activités artistiques inclusives et accessibles à tout le monde. La réutilisation créative engendre l’innovation ! Plus d’info ici
Art Hives' Le Pot de Miel-Household Creative Reuse Centre is a place where art therapists, art educators and other leaders of Art Hives can come and retrieve materials for free to use for community art making. It supports a sharing economy and sustainable art practice by keeping materials out of the landfill in order to freely share them for inclusive and accessible art making. Innovation springs through diverse and creative material use! More info here
Art Bikers [NS]
Art Bikers is a unique mobile community arts program embracing the talents and gifts of community members and community artists to come together to make Art. The team of community artists ride bicycles pulling colourful trailers full of art materials to neighbourhoods throughout Halifax. Upon arriving, they set-up and facilitate collaborative art activities that open up a world of creativity, fun and community connection. Open to all community members and delivered in participant’s neighbourhoods, Art Bikers fosters creativity between and connections with one another. More info here
MABELLEarts [ON]
Our ongoing park transformation project on Mabelle Avenue involves artists, architects, gardeners, cooks and builders to work with Mabelle residents of all ages to re-imagine, transform and animate the Mabelle Park, located in the heart of the Mabelle neighbourhood. http://www.mabellearts.ca/projects/ Once a neglected thoroughfare, the Mabelle Park has become a centre of artistic and communal activity in the heart of the neighbourhood. Read more
4elements Living Arts [ON]
4elements Living Arts is a non-profit arts organization working with local communities since 2002. Through educational art-recreation crossover experiences, and curatorial and research projects we enable imaginative, critically engaged interactions with the land for all ages. Based on Mnidoo Mnising | Manitoulin Island, we engage residents and visitors in the exploration of the land-based relationships through the arts. Programs include walking and art excursions, our land-based Elemental Festival, and a River School for kids and adults that explores the art and science of river ecology. Find out more here
ATSA [QC]
L’ATSA est un organisme à but non lucratif fondé en 1998 par les artistes Pierre Allard et Annie Roy. Sur un ton ludique et percutant, ils créent, produisent et diffusent des œuvres et événements transdisciplinaires sous forme d’interventions, d’installations, de performances ou de mises en scène réalistes motivées par le désir d’interpeller la population envers des causes sociales, environnementales et patrimoniales cruciales et préoccupantes…L’ATSA s’engage dans un mouvement créatif, pacifiste et responsable, faisant la promotion d’un développement durable et respectueux des droits fondamentaux de l’homme et de la nature. www.atsa.qc.ca/mandat
Naturescapes / Art Starts [ON]
Art Starts in partnership with the City of Toronto’s Cultural Hotspot initiative is proud to unveil Naturescapes, a community-engaged public art installation in Earl Bales park in June. Naturescapes is a multi-site public art, youth mentorship and legacy project that creatively animates two parks within North York’s green spaces and ravines. The project seeks to use the arts to help residents shift the way they view green spaces in their communities, while increasing the visibility and ambience of the space for years to come. Find out more here
EARTH=home [BC]
EARTH=home is an inter-disciplinary, large-scale show that incorporates music, theatre, dance and multi-media technology. Based on three years of arts workshops with young people from diverse communities, EARTH=home showcases their thoughts and feelings about the state of our planet and where we are taking it. EARTH=home toured nationally with a 40-page, on-line resource for teachers which is still in use across the country and available online here. Read more on the ICASC site: www.icasc.ca/EARTH_home_tour_2009
Listings compiled July 2016 by Sonya Young, ArtBridges Outreach Coordinator. This is just a sampler - please send any ideas and suggestions toinfo@artbridges.ca
Compilation réalisée par Sonya Young, l'agente de liaison communautaire d'ArtBridges/ToileDesArts. Il ne s'agit que d'un échantillon - merci de nous envoyer vos idées et vos suggestions àinfo@artbridges.ca
