Freedom to Create (www.freedomtocreate.com) is an initiative that seeks to improve lives by addressing society’s ability to support and sustain creativity. The initiative focuses on those societies in greatest need.
Directly from their website:
A celebration of courage and creativity Established in 2008, the Freedom to Create Prize is a celebration of the courage and creativity of artists around the world who use their talents to build the foundations for open societies and inspire the human spirit. It is open to artists in all creative fields.
Support for frontline artists Each year, US$125,000 in prize money is awarded across three categories: Main, Youth and Imprisoned Artist. The winners of this year’s Prize will be announced at our awards ceremony to be held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, on 25 November 2009. Human rights activist Bianca Jagger, leading human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC and acclaimed documentary maker Nick Broomfield will present the awards.
A growing presence The Prize has been embraced by artists on the frontlines, the global arts in development sector and the human rights community. This year there were more than 1,000 nominations from over 100 countries.
Last year the Art Action Union promoted this prize in it's fundamental year, to a very modest and new group of artists. We even ran our own challenge in parallel with the ideals.
It was with honour and surprise that this year the Art Action Union was identified by this growing prestigious prize and invited to the awards ceremony at the V&A Gallery in London.
Unfortunately, I couldn't go :-( Because I don't live anywhere near London ... and after a frantic mail around couldn't get anyone there either :-( even though we were very lucky to have the invitation extended to our "colleagues in London" ... ho hum! I'll have to meet Bianca Jagger another day!
What is more important about the awards being in a state of "growing prestige", is that not only are they attracting the likes of: HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE BIANCA JAGGER, AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY MAKER NICK BROOMFIELD AND HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERT, GEOFFREY ROBERTSON QC to present the winners, the growing number of entrants on the front line of human need regarding expression have embraced the awards. This year over 1000 entries from over 100 countries has marked The Freedom to Create Prize as a special and magical celebration of voice, but contrasted against the dire need to raise community expectations and standards in educating our richest world communities about the sacrifices made by others in their struggle against oppression.
The winners will be announced tonight Wednesday the 25 November 2009 ... alas without the real time cheers and tears of the Art Action Union's physical presence, but we are there in spirit and will be advocating the change that these artists need to see in the world.
"Water War (water is life not for sale)" is a play written and designed by Art Action Union community member Sorkar Haider.Sorkar is a resident of Bangladesh and expresses his concerns through theatre alongside the Karigar theatre troupe.His latest scripted production draws to the surface the impact of globalisation, international conflict and neighbouring policy on Bangladesh, it's people and the river systems that have been their life and culture.
The fear that Sorkar and his fellow thespians are aiming to express, is the deep nature of greed and control that could cost them not only access to this necessity for life, but invoke violence and inter-dependent corruption that could overcome nations as the resource diminishes.
The play was inspired by the reflection of the actors’ love of the rivers as children in their earlier village life.
From the play brief that Sorkar sent to the Art Action Union (transcribed as is):
We discover some moments at the bend of river and we see rivers have chronological story, birth story, and all people are love them.
Bangladesh is irrigated by rivers.In the ancient and middle ages near about 850 rivers to flowed over the country and they meet with Bay of Bengal.But now this time we are seeing only 249 rivers.Where are the other rivers?Death.There are 90 percent people dependent on rivers in Bangladesh.The people are habituate by agricultural farming, fishing, stone business and other river related works.
All the rivers come from India because all the rivers are born on Himalaya and other hills.Indian govt. blocked 168 rivers water by damming 249 rivers.The Bangladeshi people are suffering a very poor time for water and river.Farrakhan dam is malediction for Bangladeshi people.Ganges water hindered by Farakka.In that time Indian govt want to build a dam on Surma, Kushiara, and Borak river.If it will happen more than 2 core peoples will suffer.
What is the global situation of rivers?It is impossible to talk about human civilisation without talking about Water.
One generation passeth away,
and another generation cometh;
but the earth abideth always...
all rivers runneth to the sea,
yet the sea is not full...
- ECCLESIASTES
The words are beautiful, haunting and suddenly anachronistic, but they are not true owing to growth, change and devolvement during our lives.Even degraded rivers seldom totally runneth at all, but loiter in a chain of reservations.In some years our mightiest rivers, Africa's Nile, Asia's Yellow, America's Colorado, Australia's Murray do not reach the sea...
"Water War" will present some small story about the people who are suffering for water.It will be performed by two characters, they are acting in speaking mood.They tell five stories.Five stories are ...
1.Dighal Kumari, a story of a sweet village girl who will die for water.
2.Alluvial Lande, a story of rivers crying and alluvial lands people.
3.Love story, A mythological love story about rivers, a green love story of Ganges and Sitolakkha (River names).
4.Water Bottle, a story of bottling water.
5.Dam, a story about Dam.
Not only are the Bangladeshi people suffering by water.The whole World and Nature are suffering for water.We are losing our natural beauty and people's natural activities. People and Nature are fighting for water in opposition to some peoples.
And there are people here in Australia, here in the west, who refuse to consider the option of recycled water or even share their dams with neighbouring shires OF THE SAME STATE AND COUNTRY.
Wake up world, pollution kills.
… and bottling water from a spring in France and shipping it all over the world for the luxury of the polluters is just pure madness.
How many carbon credits in the production of one bottle of less-than-pure springwater from the Evian spring once it arrives in the offshore export country???Not to mention at all the environmental implications in the use of plastics and the population’s lack of mental strength to grasp the concept of “recycling receptical”… sheesh…
Bangladesh is a country that I know very little about.When I think of it though, I think of monsoons and thick lush terrain with a rich, colourful, vibrant, long-lasting and resilient local culture.Not at all like this dusty island nation that recieves so little empathy from it’s population in times of drought.
It is sad to think that the actions of one country that shares resources, that has a responsibility to it’s neighbours and to the livlihood of our global community and global community mental health, could allow such ‘greed’ to take place.
Where are the international ethics on river systems, is it allowable for a country to block a river that flows to another country’s life-line?It is allowable for one nation to dam a river and stop it flowing before it escapes the border of it’s jurisdiction?
Does a country own a river that does not start within it and flows through to the other side of it to another border?
I becomes particularly nasty if the sanitation system of the water greedy country in question is questionable and squanderous in it’s directive and resource.
What does a de-salination plant cost in carbon credits again???
HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT LEADERSHIP MENTORING ARTS PROGRAM
Environmental art project grants - $13,000
Can arts make a difference to the environment?
If you are an emerging artist under the age of 26 that works with visual art as a means to promote the environment and sustainability, than you may be interested in trying for a slice of this rather generous pie.
Queensland Conservation and the Australia Council are working towards creating a number of unique projects fusing the world of the arts and activism.
What a novel idea!
Utilising the artist as a catalyst for change, and change as a catalyst for the artist, the grant promises to give support and training in association with Feral Arts in Brisbane (www.feralarts.com.au). Such is the need for promoting sustainable environmental ideologies to diversified audiences, art is generally a medium that appeals (in some form or other) to just about everyone in every culture.
$A15 000 (including $2000 for travel) in mentorships will be awarded to deserving young emerging artists to raise environmental challenges in their work. Artists will be involved and mentored by environmental activists to learn about issues ranging from climate change to biodiversity conservation. The end result to be a magnificent work or works that will bring together the environment, community and creativity.
From the press release:
Ryan Dillon, Queensland Conservation Executive Member says the HELM-Arts (Healthy Environment Leadership Mentoring) project is innovative because it helps develop a new generation of artistic leadership.
“This project will expose, train and support young artists and shape them into effective leaders who can advocate for a sustainable world through their art,” Dillon says.
“Queensland Conservation, the peak body for more than 60 environmental groups in Queensland, is well placed to build closer links with the art sector,” Dillon states, “and we are hoping to attract nominations from a broad range of artists, geographical locations and ethnic backgrounds.”
“We created the term HELM-Arts as we feel it is up to young people to take the helm and lead the way with environmental change,” Dillon says.
The Art Action Union had a discussion with Ryan Dillon about art challenging environmental education.
We discussed how the mentorship grants will help these young emerging artists bloom.
Ryan said in a manner of speaking, “the good thing is that it’s a partnership with the Queensland Conservation Council/Australia Council and Feral Arts, two of the best and most well networked environmental and arts organisations in this region. We hope the project will network people from all over the country to create outcomes in Queensland and cross-train arts activists with direct hands on experience to create an ‘eco arts space’ to be watched and anticipated.”
I like the way Ryan used the term ‘eco arts space’ it creates a vision of a new and necessary arts culture. A microcosmic and specialised art form that has purpose and reward.
We discussed what will happen with the work once it is finished? How will the work be used as an education tool for awareness beyond the initial grant timeframe?
Mr. Dillon had a very strong idea that it was open for interpretation.
“Given the diversity of artists that we are expecting to see apply for this opportunity, it really will be up to the discretion of the successful artist. All artists will have their merits measured against the same criteria but that doesn’t mean that we will have a set idea about what type of work it will be and how it will be finished. The artists must demonstrate professionalism but it is up to them to prove that they have the best plans in arts education for sustainable environment and the best way of presenting it for long-term educational and arts benefits.
We are looking for art that is provocative and emotionally engaging, hopefully the viewer will see the art and want to get involved actively with climate change. The main motivation behind the HELM terminology is to provide a vision for young people to form their ideas around leadership in this area. They are at the HELM of the Titanic with the iceberg [ironic ‘cause really they are melting] looming in the near distance, the artist has to steer that ship with creative thinking to take a new course and not crash. To engage a new audience through new networks. It is up to the artists to decide what is provocative.”
Thanks to Ryan for his time and patience with my dodgy technology.
It is hoped that the HELM-Arts project will become an annual arts grant event.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: ANIMALS ASIA AUSTRALIA EXHIBITION
Animals Asia, Australia Branch, is calling for artists to donate works to raise money for their Moon Bear Operations in China. As the event is only two weeks away they are hoping to have all the pieces together by the end of this week but if people can’t make that deadline, they are willing to accept pieces up until about Tuesday 2nd June.
The exhibition is being held in conjunction with a presentation from Animals Asia Foundation’s Chinese Relations Director, Ms Christie Yang. So if you are not able to donate artwork, you may wish to attend the event.
Tickets are $25 (Aust.) each and can be purchased by contacting Anne at the above email.
Artworks will be silently auctioned at the Red Lips Gallery (owned by renowned artist Rae Heint) to raise vital funds for Moon Bear rescue.
Saturday 6th June 2009 Doors open at 7 pm, Presentation on Animal Asia’s work in China will commence at 8pm Red Lips Gallery, 60 Excelsior Street, Leichhardt NSW
The Ursa Freedom Project (http://www.ursafreedomproject.ning.com) is projecting forward with the Movement developing into much more than a campaign for fund-raising, although this being it’s most important function.
Animals Asia (http://www.animalsasial.org) operate in China and Vietnam rescuing bears and rehabilitating them as best as possible, although many of the bears sustain lifelong injuries and diseases as a result of their treatment in the bile farms. It costs a lot of cash to house and provide them with the special nutrition they need to peacefully fulfill their new-found days of freedom, so fund-raising and sponsoring of bears is directly going to the victims of these commercialisms and the organisation that frees them.
The Ursa Freedom Family is committed to liberating the bears that are bred, born and captured into a life of torture and abuse. The Bile that is extracted from the stomachs of these bears is used in commercial products for which there are cruelty free alternatives. This industry is supported by the people who buy those products and at the bottom of the pit of change, the first step to take before a market can be effected enough to fundamentally alter or cease existence, is to educate the consumers. And that’s where targeted awareness can be a radical approach to education.
Founder of the Ursa Freedom Project, journalist and activist Jeanette McDermott, approached the Art Action Union on Ecopaparazzi to lend a hand with spreading the word. So what do we do? We spread the word! Issuing forth blogs and news and art challenges on all our sites about the project, connecting a number of networks spanning from Facebook to Redbubble, from Ning to YouTube and so the twitter bug carries the Chinese whisper.
We also have an 11 minute documentary in the approval system waiting for a go ahead. (I have been busy lol)
We have designed a brochure for email circulation amongst welfare organisations to bring awareness of the wonderful efforts that are happening in a grassroots – yet global – way!
ART FOR THE BEARS - ARTISTS MAKIN’ ART
The AAU Redbubble group ran a challenge to help get people not only on board but wearing and looking at awareness. Congratulations to nofrillsart (http://www.redbubble.com/people/nofrillsart/t-shirts/2898371-1-save-the-moon-bear-bile-farming-makes-me-sick-to-the-stomach) for the winning tee Save the Moon Bear (Bile farming makes me sick to the stomach) T-Shirt, last I heard Glenn had sold at least 4 of this design. If you visit the page too, you can see a small proportion of the people who found awareness to this topic through creative activism – and that’s not even taking into consideration the army of fans that would have seen but not spoken, or the people who see the t-shirts being worn.
Glenn chose to sell his tees with no mark up to encourage buyers to spread the word about the cause and the plight of the bears for commercial and consumer attitudinal change. By contrast another very active and passionate member of the AAU collective, Lupe (http://www.redbubble.com/people/lupexx), made sales on some of her many and varied anti-bile farming/save the moon bears tees and donated the sales directly to the Ursa Freedom Project’s donation page sending the funds straight to Animals Asia.
GREAT STUFF TO SEE THAT MAKES ME CRY …
Kids always have a way of saying things in a special way - a way that makes you feel happy, sad, safe and scared and a variety of other emotions all at once. Sometimes their application of their view of a situation can completely change the adult world, too many kids are robbed of their opinions. My eldest daughter Olivia (8) is often quite interested in the gozillions of projects that I pile around me so the Moon Bear project, being the animal LOVER she is, made her particularly thoughtful. It prompted her to participate and sent her off on a magical and imaginative picture process that resulted in a beautiful charm for the souls of these sweetly fierce mammals.
What made this very extra sweet from here in Australia was that she was joined in mind and spirit by Angelique’s (http://www.redbubble.com/people/eliq) son Josiathe in Nashville USA. Josaithe is also 8 and together - I reckon they nailed it!
Goodbye bile farming!
By Olivia, 8 years, Brisbane Australia
By Josaithe, 8 years, Nashville USA
ON A SIDE NOTE… HOME AND AWAY … TRAA LAA LAAAAA
For those of you who may enjoy Australian soap opera (no not I said the little red hen, I had to google the name, but I was surprised none the less) … you may be interested to know that Home and Away actor (and evidently, also singer) Bernard Curry has written and contributed a song to the URSA Freedom Family, named Willow’s Song. I had contacted Mr. Curry in the hope that he would contribute more of his media prowess to the cause to nil reply.
I reckon we can change his mind, contact me if you want his email address… ha! Just joking but some one should hassle him for a media release, it would do greater things than he perhaps would know.
You can listen to a soapie singer singing for great things at the Ursa Freedom Site home page (music player is on the left, just down a little bit).
ANIMOTO FOR A CAUSE – SUBMISSIONS WANTED FOR ACTIVIST ART VIDEO
Animoto.com is a website designed to create slide-shows that amaze! A free Animoto account allows a 30 second promo vid that you can post online. What you do is you upload a ton of still images, choose a sound track and mix it. The site mashes the pics through some filters and things and comes out with something cool. You can re-mix the vids as many times as you like until you get one to satisfaction. A free account however gives you very little control over some aspects of the animation so its message presentation potential is limited.
Animoto for a Cause is a special account that you can apply for to which gives you full access to pro-video services in order to quickly and easily make targeted slide-shows that atmospherically move to a soundtrack creating an almost cinematic experience. Additional benefits allow the user to upload images and music but also include text headlines, ebeddable AND downloadable and also available in high definition DVD format for those really special projects. It’s a great way of presenting artwork and also a really easy and no fuss way of creating really professional looking advertisements. Given that the files are downloadable too, they become really awesome motion fills for larger movies that you may be editing in other video making software. You just import the .mp4 file into your editor as a video track.
Having had a free Animoto account for a year, the moment they circulated news of this new scheme I applied on a hunch … and they gave us one!
I have been fiddling with it to get the feel of it but I have a plan to showcase more activist art from our groups this way in the future –
For some idea of what this can do you can compare and contrast:
This is the first AAU vid promo I created using the free account
Ursa Freedom Project began on March 20 (Vernal Equinox) when, in the evening sky, the constellation Ursa Major rises up from the NorthEastern horizon (Northern Hemisphere).
The campaign builds through a series of monthly posters and activities that catapult the whole world into action on June 21 (Summer Solstice).
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW!!! (AND HOPEFULLY KEEP DOING THEM 'TIL THE BEARS ARE FREE)
Below are are some of the artistic contributions so far.... show the world what a pro-active group of concerned artists can do to raise awareness to ALL people...
You all have your audience...
You all have your style...
You all have influence...
You all have hearts...
and...
I am sure...
You all have CONTACT LISTS...
Although I don't encourage spammmmmm.... telling a few people would be great too!
ACTION MAIL FEBRUARY 12, 2009 VICTORIAN BUSHFIRE APPEAL ...
This weekend just passed, Victoria in Australia has seen the most horrible and horrific of disasters, one not experienced here in modern times . It is hard to identify with what has been happening because to identify with the lessons to be learned from this experience, we need to delve into a situation of which it is easy to run and hide from. In our humble modern humanity there are those of us who still find it difficult to accept our vulnerability against the fury of the elements. And the flames were furious and many lives were lost. There are fires still burning.
Fingers are being pointed and many people want answers that may never come, but I guess from this singular perspective, I can only pray that if there was criminal intent, justice will be served.
For another perspective, Miranda Divine writes opinion for the Sydney Morning Herald and has raised the questions environmentalists will cringe to read, may indignantly defend or may pray that a balance can be found where we are not choosing between populations and vegetation density or our habitat. Particularly when we have been, and are from that habitat and many of our peers have now gone back to it's Earth element through those fires of havoc.
Lots of us have already given all the spare funds that we can, but if you can give still... here is the donation link for the Red Cross, you can also donate blood to help if you can (thnx bites)...
There are also many other items and general living things that may be called for such as:
The latest request for the bush fire victims We have had an extremely sombre request today. Wallan Community Centre has put out an urgent request for suits. These suits are for families who have lost relatives, and also their homes, and need them to attend their relatives’ funerals. Any shape and size of suit is fine. If you have anything you would like to donate – please let me know. Kind regards, Kristin Flanagan Events and Communications Coordinator / Special Projects E: flanagank@missionaustralia.com.au | P:(03) 8615 2266 | M: 0458 372 765 A: Level 2, 398 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000 | W: http://www.missionaustralia.com.au (thnx Melinda)
The good artists at RedBubble have also organised The Phoenix Appeal to raise more funds for the many many families and communities that require rebuilding...
Victoria's bushland and wildlife will feel the effects of these fires for the remainder of the century.
The Art Action Union extends it's thoughts and hopes to the victims and heroes, peace and love.
BY CONTRAST ...
The entire north of Queensland has officially 'plunged' into flooding disaster status. Raining since January and with cyclones and king tides, it's been described as a downpour of "biblical proportions".
HUMAN RIGHTS POETRY SUBMISSIONS ...
New Internationalist is a magazine with the bi-line, 'The people, the ideas, the action in the fight for global justice'.
Their website footer states: "New Internationalist (NI) workers' co-operative exists to report on issues of world poverty and inequality; to focus attention on the unjust relationship between the powerful and the powerless worldwide; to debate and campaign for the radical changes necessary to meet the basic needs of all; and to bring to life the people, the ideas and the action in the fight for global justice."
It has a passionate feel and a definite yet subtle 'angstyness' about it, including aesthetic and appropriate design that is balanced by the obvious intelligence of the data encapsulated in the immediately recognisable stories of appeal.
The extra creatively activist angle is that they are currently looking for poetry to highlight the constant vigilance we keep for the prevalence of human rights around the world.
Rhymes for Rights - New Internationalist Magazine Our Publications Team are busy compiling a human rights based poetry anthology with poets from around the world. The aim is to have a hundred poems from a hundred different poets. And we need your help! If you have a favourite poet or poem that you think might fit the bill, please email us your suggestions. Interpret human rights in the broadest possible sense; we're not just after poetry of protest; affirmations are as valuable (and much harder to find) as complaints; translations are fine; poets should be fairly contemporary (ie 20th century to ones still alive); established names and unknowns equally welcome. Please email your suggestions to: rightspoetry@newint.org
WHY THE ART ACTION UNION LOVES ARTISTS THAT LOVE THE WORLD ...
+ to empower and gather activist artists together to broaden the appeal of communication of messages regarding important issues in society.
+ to promote and market our activities with a critical mass wherever possible to strengthen voice and communication of the message.
+ to ACTION issues as they arrive and when needed, but to also continually create awareness about social justice and topics that are always under scrutiny or are concerning to the artists.
+ to forge links with larger and more influential socially active community networks, in order to get exposure to coordinate with whatever we are needed for and to hopefully gain artists opportunities to get their ideas into the public arena through print, internet and ultimately traditional events such as exhibitions.
+ to stimulate awareness amongst our communities by actively acting collectively and artistically.
ART ACTION UNION LINKS DIRECTORY ... Visiting this page will take you to a list of Art Action Union directory links, this page is intended to be a quick guide to all the pages and networks and affiliations and groups where the Art Action Union (or I as your spokesperson) have a presence. There are still more to add but I would love to hear of more networks where art and activism are a major topic. If you know of any sites that we could sign up to with a view to awareness of the work that activist artists do, and that they need support with promotion (and yes financially too), please send me an email.
The AAU is many things, it can be a place of venting, a place of healing, an art gallery, a discussion forum. It is a collaboration in itself, and all the sites we add and spread our peace dove wings to, become part of that collaboration and the internet, be it an art site, a social networking site or whatever, is not only our canvas, but our voice and our medium for public ethics and morality to be called on in a continuous and diverse and fun and accessible way.
AND NOW FOR SOME ENTERTAINMENT ...
The artists of this collective are BRILLIANT!!! We have already accumulated a vast amount of intelligence and perspective and it just makes a big beautiful bowl of news and arts for me to write about. So for this section of our bumper news mail today - sit back and relax while I unearth some of the passionate people of our experiment.
Visual Fusion Collations:
shanghaiwu - is a digital fusion artist who is heavily influenced by her personal experiences in China and Japan, she lives in Australia.
Curious Comic Collations:
Mark Brumfield's eclectic and creative comic commentaries are inspiring, check out the shapes and vividness of colour contrasted with age old characters with quirky texts.
NEW ADDITIONS TO OUR COLLECTIVE... WELCOME AND INVITE!
The more the merrier and the more bizarre and informative minds we get to mingle with...
Our community collective has had members join from lots of diverse places recently and the new year has brought new thoughts and perspectives for the education and awareness of any who happen by the spaces the Art Action Union Inhabits. We now are up to 97 members, can we kick in past ONE HUNDRED with a sprint? INVITE INVITE INVITE people... go nuts...
Our facebook group has swelled to 168 members... feel free to intercept and network through us there also.
On RedBubble.com the Art Action Union Creative Activism Group is at 470 likeminded folks who make and post provoking pieces of art and writing pretty much constantly... a activist art feast... We also are affiliated with other groups and have a moderating presence on the panel for Current Issues and Anti-Consumerism...
Follow the movements of the Art Action Union on Twitter by clicking FOLLOW KAOSKYANE
And I have just joined MySpace where I will also be gathering souls for promoting our wears... spread the word, use all your resources and become our army of advertisements... add our badges or logos or banners...
This year too, i will be revisiting our artactionunion.org portal to hopefully get it up... as time, life and resources allow :-)
CALL FOR COLLABORATIONS - THE TAR SANDS AND THE LEPUFOLOGY PROJECT
The Art Action Union are very glad to be associated with this great effort from a group of activists in Quebec Canada. Do you know what Tar Sands are? Do you know why they are important and why if they are 'used' for dirty energy it will be a bad thing? Well... find out, educate and make art to spread awareness. What goes around comes around contribute and your heart will find further repose... or at best, good karma will come to you.
The Lepufology Project is a not-for-profit collaborative art project which aims mainly to raise public awareness of the issues and impacts of the non-consensual development of oil sands in Alberta, of the various organizations taking action against it, and of alternative energy sources.
The Alberta tar sands development project has been described as “the largest industrial project in human history and likely also the most destructive.” It raises numerous social, environmental, and economic issues such as declining human health in many communities, the second fastest rate of deforestation on the planet behind the Amazon Rainforest Basin, fragmentation and devastation of bird and wildlife habitat, species loss, atmospheric pollution, acid rain, greenhouse gases, climate change, water pollution, degradation of water quality, contamination and sickening of wildlife and residents, lack of proper consultation and accommodation of First Nations interests, and loss of fishing grounds and traditional hunting and trapping territory.
Because of its sheer scale, the development of tar sands in Alberta impacts all of us, no matter where we are located on the planet.
Artists and artistically inclined people are invited to participate by creating digital art inspired by the cause or by the accompanying sci-fi short story and soundtrack. Then they are asked to submit their artwork to the project, spread it around, and link back to the project's website. Already existing pieces of art are also accepted, and so is art which is related to the cause even if not directly inspired by the story. All forms of art are accepted, as long as they are submitted in digital format easily shareable on the world wide web.
Unfortunately there is no podcast but ideas for awareness are encouraged and welcome from all parts of the globe. Contact me directly or post to the group if you are not Facebook shy.
SHE IS AMAZING ... AND SO IS THE ARTIST WHO CAPTURED HER STRENGTH ...
Art Action Union member Angelique Price has been copping some great press lately for her beautiful portraits, most recently from Juxtopoz Magazine... and with damn good reason... she is one of the most awesome portrait poster print-makers with a pantone! or sharpie... ever!
What is extra awesome however, enhancing the beauty that emanates from her work, is that she has a gift in bringing out the most vulnerable aspects of political and social leaders through bright, almost psychedelic, hand-drawn and coloured posterisations.
Angelique's portrait of Barack Obama shows not just his strength of character, but she has chosen a pose for him that is less than confident in feel but more the confident looking for counsel. Seemingly a leader who is looking to the people for advice.
But it is her portrayal of strong and courageous women that I love the most ...
Particularly Angelique's tribute to Benazir Bhutto, this artwork brought the knowledge of this woman's strength and untimely demise at the hands of the corrupt and intolerant.
ART BLOG FOR PEACE REDBUBBLE CHALLENGE RESULTS
Congratulations to rubyred for gaining the voting advantage for the Peace knot tshirt - buy it now by clicking the image below.
+ to empower and gather activist artists together to broaden the appeal of communication of messages regarding important issues in society.
+ to promote and market our activities with a critical mass wherever possible to strengthen voice and communication of the message.
+ to ACTION issues as they arrive and when needed, but to also continually create awareness about social justice and topics that are always under scrutiny or are concerning to the artists.
+ to forge links with larger and more influential socially active community networks, in order to get exposure to coordinate with whatever we are needed for and to hopefully gain artists opportunities to get their ideas into the public arena through print, internet and ultimately traditional events such as exhibitions.
+ to stimulate awareness amongst our communities by actively acting collectively and artistically.
+ aspire to inspire.
Unfortunately, I couldn't go :-( Because I don't live anywhere near London ... and after a frantic mail around couldn't get anyone there either :-( even though we were very lucky to have the invitation extended to our "colleagues in London" ... ho hum! I'll have to meet Bianca Jagger another day!
Unfortunately, I couldn't go :-( Because I don't live anywhere near London ... and after a frantic mail around couldn't get anyone there either :-( even though we were very lucky to have the invitation extended to our "colleagues in London" ... ho hum! I'll have to meet Bianca Jagger another day!
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