This short piece appeared in 2013 on the Cortes Island Timeline, an island message board, following a dust up about an art show presented by the Raincoast Conservation Foundation in which I was an exhibitor.
Oil Free Coast Art Show Stirs the Waters!
Lots of controversy surrounded the display of Art for an Oil-Free Coast at the Calgary City Hall Atrium a couple of weeks ago (April 2013). Not surprising perhaps as Calgary is the heart of the Canadian oil industry.
Despite being entitled Art for an Oil-Free Coast and clearly presented by Raincoast Conservation Foundation, claims were made that the show snuck in without the proper authorities knowing what it was all about.
I found it startling that there were even a few claims that art shouldn't be political. Someone has failed to grasp what art is about! Creating awareness is political.
But it felt good to have stirred up conversation about oil tanker traffic on the coast. Given recent events such as a large fish boat crashing into a naval ship in Esquimalt harbour, it's hard to argue that an oil tanker will never be in trouble. And TROUBLE on this coast could devastate miles and miles of fragile coast and render thousands of miles of ocean uninhabitable.
I'd like to see the financial and physical energy currently invested in 'proving' the efficacy of oil instead invested in alternative energy. Didn't I just see that Germany now claims to be a major solar power? All in all, it's interesting to be deemed a scary radical because I painted a watercolour of some bull kelp floating near the Athlone Islets in the Bardwell Group on BC's Central Coast.
Is it because tanker traffic may render this painting a document of something that could be lost? Will be lost??
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/anti-pipeline-art-exhibit-stirs-controversy-at-calgary-city-hall/article11299560/
http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Shows/Alberta/ID/2379483443/
http://www.calgaryherald.com/Anti+oilsands+show+sets+City+Hall/8246576/story.html#ixzz2QbGgssGC
http://globalnews.ca/video/487014/controversial-exhibit-stays-at-city-hall
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/04/17/anti-pipeline-art-show-calgary-city-hall_n_3101092.html
http://www.canmoreleader.com/2013/04/09/art-for-an-oil-free-coast-comes-to-canmore
http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/exhibit-paints-different-picture-of-pipeline-project-1.1239071#ixzz2QZjhMlrd
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2013/04/14/calgary-oil-sands-art-exhibit.html
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/City+pulls+permit+anti+pipeline+show/8251765/story.html#ixzz2Qk3iKZEr
http://globalnews.ca/news/486404/city-hall-art-exhibit-stirs-controversy/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2013/04/17/calgary-oil-pipeline-art-exhibit-pulled.html
http://beaconnews.ca/blog/2013/04/northern-gateway-protest-art-sets-up-at-calgary-city-hall/
http://artthreat.net/2013/04/calgary-artists-oil-free-coast/
Oil Free Coast Art Show Stirs the Waters!
Lots of controversy surrounded the display of Art for an Oil-Free Coast at the Calgary City Hall Atrium a couple of weeks ago (April 2013). Not surprising perhaps as Calgary is the heart of the Canadian oil industry.
Despite being entitled Art for an Oil-Free Coast and clearly presented by Raincoast Conservation Foundation, claims were made that the show snuck in without the proper authorities knowing what it was all about.
I found it startling that there were even a few claims that art shouldn't be political. Someone has failed to grasp what art is about! Creating awareness is political.
But it felt good to have stirred up conversation about oil tanker traffic on the coast. Given recent events such as a large fish boat crashing into a naval ship in Esquimalt harbour, it's hard to argue that an oil tanker will never be in trouble. And TROUBLE on this coast could devastate miles and miles of fragile coast and render thousands of miles of ocean uninhabitable.
I'd like to see the financial and physical energy currently invested in 'proving' the efficacy of oil instead invested in alternative energy. Didn't I just see that Germany now claims to be a major solar power? All in all, it's interesting to be deemed a scary radical because I painted a watercolour of some bull kelp floating near the Athlone Islets in the Bardwell Group on BC's Central Coast.
Is it because tanker traffic may render this painting a document of something that could be lost? Will be lost??
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/anti-pipeline-art-exhibit-stirs-controversy-at-calgary-city-hall/article11299560/
http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Shows/Alberta/ID/2379483443/
http://www.calgaryherald.com/Anti+oilsands+show+sets+City+Hall/8246576/story.html#ixzz2QbGgssGC
http://globalnews.ca/video/487014/controversial-exhibit-stays-at-city-hall
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/04/17/anti-pipeline-art-show-calgary-city-hall_n_3101092.html
http://www.canmoreleader.com/2013/04/09/art-for-an-oil-free-coast-comes-to-canmore
http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/exhibit-paints-different-picture-of-pipeline-project-1.1239071#ixzz2QZjhMlrd
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2013/04/14/calgary-oil-sands-art-exhibit.html
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/City+pulls+permit+anti+pipeline+show/8251765/story.html#ixzz2Qk3iKZEr
http://globalnews.ca/news/486404/city-hall-art-exhibit-stirs-controversy/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2013/04/17/calgary-oil-pipeline-art-exhibit-pulled.html
http://beaconnews.ca/blog/2013/04/northern-gateway-protest-art-sets-up-at-calgary-city-hall/
http://artthreat.net/2013/04/calgary-artists-oil-free-coast/
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