We are grateful to Ft. Lauderdale-based ArtServe for hosting this event. The virtual panel discussion is a continuation of the engaging conversations initiated during ARTSail’s first Lake Okeechobee expedition with our artist-in-residence Christina Pettersson in early February 2021, with Dr. Paul Gray and Belle Glade community organizer Robert Mitchell.
It will explore the complexities of the Lake O. region, addressing some of the social and ecological issues the local communities and natural ecosystem are impacted by today.
Walking the walk. ARTSail joins Betty Osceola in her Lake Okeechobee Prayer Walk
Taking a short break during the silent Lake Okeechobee Prayer Walk. Photo by Alex Markow
We ended our first Lake Okeechobee adventure with Christina Pettersson with the profound and unforgettable experience of joining Betty Osceola in her 6-day Prayer Walk around Lake O. Betty Osceola is a Native American grandmother, Everglades conservationist, anti-fracking and clean water advocate. She is a member of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida of the Panther Clan. We are grateful for her tireless advocacy and for letting us join forces with her.
A visit to Belle Glade with Robert Mitchell
Speaking to Muck City Black Lives Matter founder, and #StopTheBurn campaign organizer, Robert Mitchell. Photo by Alex Markow
A huge thank you to Patrick Ferguson of Sierra Club Florida, for introducing us to one of the community leaders who are spearheading the #StopTheBurn campaign in Belle Glade. We discussed the damaging health effects of the pre-harvesting sugar cane burning practice and the complexities connected to the sugar industry and its strong hold on many of the communities, and their political representatives, who live around Lake Okeechobee.
ARTSail kicks off 2021 residency with Christina Pettersson
At Gray Ranch with Dr. Paul Gray, Audubon Florida Director of Science. Photo by Alex Markow
WHERE RANCH LAND MEETS WET LAND. We were thrilled to kick-off Christina’s residency with Dr. Paul Gray, discussing the importance of ranch land in the context of Central Florida ecosystem, birdwatching and learning more about Lake Okeechobee water management system and the harmful algal bloom caused by excessive nutrients in its waters. Grateful to Dr. Gray, Deborah Mitchell for the introduction, Audubon FL and to our partners, Friends of the Everglades.
ARTSail and SHOWFIELDS in conversation on CREATE! Magazine
We are thrilled to be featured in a conversation between SHOWFIELDS Head Curator, Tam Gryn, and ARTSail Executive Director, Ombretta Agro’, discussing Art & Sustainability and how it manifests in SHOWFIEDLS Miami Beach location. CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO OPEN THE PDF FILE.
The magazine can be purchased on Amazon HERE
Christina Pettersson will be ARTSail 2021 artist-in-residence
Photo by Eli Peck
We are excited to announce that Christina Pettersson will be our next artist-in-residence. Over her year-long residency, we will explore the complexities of the Upper Evreglades and Lake Okeechobee regions with the assistance of our partners Bullsugar and Friends of the Everglades. Christina will collaborate with ARTSail 2017 alumna, curator and writer Blanca de la Torre, by creating the visual compendium for WATER ECOLOGIES FOR OUR SHARED FUTURE, a bilingual publication highlighting essential terms for understanding climate change and its impact in Central and South Florida,
ARTiculating Sustainability: Artists respond to the Climate Emergency
A PANEL DISCUSSION AT SHOWFIELD MIAMI ON DEC 5 AT 4PM
In these unsettling and yet hopeful times, ARTSail Residency and Research Initiative, SHOWFIELDS and #ARTiculatingClimate have partnered up to discuss with a handful of Miami-based artists/activists how the concept of ‘political-timing-specific’ applies to their practice in the specific context of the climate emergency.
In the form of a dynamic and interactive conversation, this panel explores how cultural producers can make their own practices more sustainable and help communities do the same, while holding businesses and public servants accountable when they don’t. How can artists leverage their voices to shape policies that can have a real and lasting impact on our environment and our communities? Are there best practices we should be looking at and learn from?
From coral bleaching to the Everglades conservation efforts, through to the monumental issue of plastic pollution that is overwhelming our oceans and the preservation of indigenous culture, these four talented creators will share enlightening insights into their artmaking processes and how they are making a difference through their art and activism.
Our episode on SDG Talks Podcast
Thrilled to share the episode we recorded with a wonderful podcast, SDG Talks, which highlights Change Makers and their work around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The founders’ passion is to highlight people and organizations that work towards the 17 goals that will transform the world into a more equitable place for everyone.
Click HERE to listen to the episode. Click HERE to listen to more episodes or subscribe to the podcast.
Artful Advocacy: How to fight for clean water this election year, Oct 21, 2020
Art has become an indispensable method for increasing knowledge, raising appreciation, and inspiring action within the environmental movement.
ARTSail is teaming up with the advocacy group Bullsugar.org to present an engaging conversation exploring the power of art to build and establish an environmentally sensitive populace and the applications of that collective consciousness to elections that impact the future of Florida’s water.
Join us TOMORROW, Oct 21 at 1PM EST on Bullsugar.org Facebook Live feed here and on YouTube here
About the Speakers:
Artist and curator Deborah Mitchell lives and works in Miami Beach, Florida. Mitchell is self taught, but enhances her understanding of ecology with University of Florida Master Naturalist Program courses. Combining scientific research with artistic interpretation, Mitchell’s work maps changes in American wildlife corridors. The resulting photo-based collages and paintings draw largely on biological data about our changing environment and demonstrate the connections between living things and why they matter.
Blair Wickstrom is leading the efforts of a group of experienced water quality advocates and volunteer “county captains” who are responsible for the creation of VoteWater.org, a Bullsugar.org campaign that aims to help Florida voters identify clean-water candidates on the 2020 ballot. Blair is also the publisher of Florida’s largest fishing magazine, Florida Sportsman, and serves on the board of directors for Bullsugar.org.
Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava is a VoteWater.org-endorsed candidate for Miami-Dade County Mayor. She currently serves as a Miami-Dade county commissioner and is recognized as a longstanding champion in support of Everglades restoration. She is also known as the "water warrior".
The conversation will be moderated by Ombretta Agro' Andruff, ARTSail Executive Director
IKT 2020 Virtual Meeting - Sustainable Curating in Corona Times, Oct 17-18, 2020
While the annual IKT Congress had to be postponed due to the pandemic, IKT resolved to organize a virtual gathering to connect with its members and the public at large during these challenging times. Over a period of 3 hours each day, 218 cultural producers from all over the world tuned in to hear from a diverse group of IKT members who shared their stories, experiences and best practices developed over the past few months; as well as from key note speakers and panelists exploring sustainable practices in our collective curatorial endeavors.
Journalist Till Briegleb, author of the insightful essay Consequence Paralysis delivered the key-note addressr on day 1; director of the Berliner Festspiele, Tomas Oberender, and curator of the ‘unplugged exhibition’ Down to Earth hosted by the Martin Gropius Bau in Summer 2020; Farid Rakun from the Indonesian collective ruangrupa, curator of the fifteenth edition of Documenta, and Lucia Pietroisuti, Curator of General Ecology at the Serpentine Galleries, were the featured speakers of the round table discussion I moderated on day 2.
Presenters featured in the Global Outlook session on day 1:
Juraj Carny (Independent Curator, Bratislava | Slovak Republic)
Biljana Ciric (Independent Curator, Melbourne | Australia)
O'Neil Lawrence (Senior Curator at the National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston | Jamaica)
René Morales (Curator at Pérez Art Museum, Miami | USA)
Rahraw Omarzad (Prof Faculty of Fine Arts Kabul University, Founder of the Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan CCAA & Founder of Women Art Center Kabul | Afghanistan)
Julien Robson (Independent Curator & Director of Great Meadows Foundation, Louisville, Kentucky | USA)
Paula Toppila (Executive Director and Curator of Pro Arte Foundation and IHME Contemporary Art Festival, Helsinki | Finland)
Eugenio Viola (Chief Curator of MAMBO Modern Art Museum of Bogota | Columbia)
Video presentations by
Nahela Hechavarría Pouymiró (Curator and Visual Art Specialist of Casa de las Américas, Havana | Cuba)
Marina Reyes Franco (Curator at Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico (MAC), San Juan | Puerto Rico)Maayan Sheleff (Independent curator and artistic advisor of the Art Cube Artists’ Studios Jerusalem, Tel Aviv | Israel)
Watch the recording from the SHOWFIELDS LIVE CURATION!
CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE THE SELECTION OF ARTWORKS CURATED AND TO WATCH THE VIDEO.
SHOWFIELDS X ARTSail: online curation and art sale on SEPT 8 at 5PM
Join us for an online curatorial talk and art sale in collaboration with SHOWFIEDLS, the first platform where art and retail meet both in the physical and digital worlds.
I have selected 9 Miami-based artists whose practice explores environmental and ecological topics, spanning from the plight of corals and coral reefs die offs, to how man-made pollution is impacting the waterways surrounding Miami, and the climate crisis in general. While the issues addressed in their work are somber and dark in nature, these artists are able to create visually engaging and aesthetically captivating works that do not push the public away, on the contrary, can be used as entry points to better understand the complexity of the issues addressed.
Second ARTSail Conversation with Japanese champion free diver AI FUTAKI
Thrilled to share our second ARTSail conversation with World Champion Free Diver and Ocean Warrior AI FUTAKI. CLICK HERE to listen to our conversation!
Double Freediving Guinness World Record holder Ai Futaki (@aifutaki) is one of the very few people in the world who conveys the splendors of the sea to us in various ways including as an underwater video photographer, presenter and freediving instructor.
In 2011, she set two Guinness World records for the longest distance in a cave with fins in one breath and the other, without fins. By representing the aquatic realm in a way that the world has never seen, Ai highlights the meaning and expression of the human-water connection. Her films are featured on television programs, commercials, exhibitions and her image regularly graces the pages of magazines and books, including a recent collaboration with Issey Miyake.
ARTSail Conversations kicks off with swimming champion Merle Liivand
So excited to start our series of ARTSail Conversations with Estonian swimming champion and mermaid ocean activist Merle Liivand. Tune in HERE to discover how Merle has been using her athletic talent and her passion and concern for the ocean to spread awareness about the issues that are afflicting our Blue Planet.
One Ocean - One Planet - One Mission - A webinar organized by The Global Summit
I was thrilled to participate in this webinar with a stellar group of ocean warriors sharing inspiring stories and efforts to preserve our Blue Planet.
Watch the unedited version of the video HERE.
Interview on Philip Rosenberg show
See the recording of the interview Phil Rosenberg conducted with ARTSail Executive Director.
Recording of webinar Connecting the dots: from coral bleaching to climate gentrification
We are excited to share the recording from our webinar, we had over 100 people attending and a lively and engaging Q&A. Huge thank you to our amazing panelists and all of the attendees who celebrated World Oceans Day!
Connecting the dots: from coral bleaching to climate gentrification
Thrilled to celebrate World Oceans Day on June 8th with a virtual panel of marine scientists, climate activists, community organizers and cultural producers and discuss these important issues.
2020 will be undoubtedly remembered as a year of unprecedented level of anxiety for the entire planet, and yet witnessing how local communities came together to support those on the frontlines, and examples of international collaborations to fight one common enemy, instilled hope in those of us who have been
advocating for the same level of global mobilization to combat another lingering existential crisis, the climate emergency.
Among the ecosystems that are most at risk from climate change and man-made pollution, are the coral reefs and as a consequence the survival of many of the species that live off these incredibly complex systems is under threat. Warmer waters, along with land ice melt, are also the driving causes of sea level rise, an issue that Miamians are all too familiar with. And with the sea rising, communities are being displaced as developers are looking for higher grounds as a safer investment, a concern neighborhood like Little Haiti,
Liberty City and Little Havana have been battling with in recent years.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
OLIVIA COLLINS, Director of Programs, The Cleo Institute
Born and raised in rural Canada, Olivia has lived in many places, before settling in Miami in 2017. She has over 15 years of experience in the environmental field from natural building to corporate social responsibility to grassroots community development. She received her bachelor’s degree in Social Justice & Sustainability from San Francisco State University and several years later completed her master’s in Environmental Impact Assessment at Concordia University in Montreal. As Director of Programs, she helps oversee and execute CLEO’s outreach programs.
MAYRA CRUZ, Climate Resilience Program Manager, Catalyst Miami
Mayra joined Catalyst in January 2018 after graduating from Columbia University with a Masters in Public
Health in Environmental Health Sciences with a Certificate in Climate and Health. She is utilizing her knowledge of climate change and its impacts to manage the CLEAR program and build upon existing climate resilience work. She holds a Bachelors degree in Public Health from George Washington University and is excited to help build resilience throughout Miami-Dade.
DALTON J. HESLEY, Program Manager, Rescue a Reef, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami
Dalton is a Sr. Research Assoc. II in Dr. Diego Lirman's Coral Reef Restoration Lab at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School. His main areas of focus are coral reef restoration, community engagement, and citizen science. In addition to being a lab associate, he manages Rescue a Reef, UM's coral conservation
program designed to support coral reef research and restoration through education, outreach, and citizen science. He obtained a Master of Professional Science degree in Marine Biology and Ecology (2015) where his
thesis centered around coral conservation, citizen science, and Rescue a Reef (Hesley et al. 2017).
DELANEY REYNOLDS, Climate Activist, Founder of Sink or Swim Project
She's been called 'one of the leading voices for the environment for her generation' by Philippe Cousteau, an 'Eco Warrior' by David Smith, and an 'incredibly valuable force of nature' by Caroline Lewis of the CLEO Institute. Delaney is a Marine Science student at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine
& Atmospheric Science in Miami, Florida and splits her time between the cosmopolitan city of a few million people and a 1,000-acre island with 43 solar powered homes in the Florida Keys called No Name Key. Like the State of Florida, Delaney's life is surrounded by water and that's where her love for the environment comes from. She is the Founder & CEO of an NGO, The Sink or Swim Project, and its popular website www.miamisearise.com, an educational and political advocacy organization focused on a variety of environmental topics including climate change and sea level rise.
Profile on Inspicio Magazine
Thrilled to share a profile recently published on FIU Inspicio online magazine which provides intimate and in-depth portraits of the movers and shakers of Miami’s vibrant cultural life. Click HERE to listen to the interview.
ARTSail featured on Art Basel Miami Beach edition of Indulge Magazine
We are thrilled to share a profile about ARTSail’s founder Ombretta Agro’ Andruff recently published on Indulge Magazine. Click here to read the article
