Artists and Endangered Species: The Endangered Species Print Project

Whooping Crane; wild population/print edition: 398

Two more artists (see earlier post) who've been doing their part to tune us in to the biodiversity crisis are Jenny Kendler and Molly Schafer, from Chicago, who created the Endangered Species Print Project. Jenny Kendler kindly agreed to carve some time out of her incredibly busy schedule and answer some questions for me.

1. In your biographical statement, when you say you and Molly bonded in grad school over “nature-geekery,” what are we talking about here?

JK: We’re talking evening prowls for urban coyotes, pre-dawn wake-ups to see snowy owls, studious poring over (sometimes hilariously awkward) 17th-19th century naturalists prints, massive collections of found feathers, shells and skulls, shelves packed with field guides, fiction and non-fiction books about animals and nature, serious investments in good binoculars, tents, hiking boots, sketchbooks full of drawings, minor salivation when a new David Attenborough BBC documentary comes out, and a pretty much endless obsession with the endless wonder available to the (lucky) person who takes time to look closely at the natural world. 

North Atlantic Right Whale; wild population/print edition: 438

2. That sounds delightfully geeky. When did you tune into the present extinction crisis?

JK: Honestly, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t aware of the specter of extinction. My parents were (and are) very environmentally involved. We lived in a passive solar home, went on backpacking trips with the Sierra Club, and often spent our weekends outdoors the at the river or botanical gardens. I am endlessly grateful that they tuned me in to nature at an early age. Nature shows like NOVA and magazines like Zoobooks put the concrete names “extinction” and “endangered species” to the danger that I knew threatened many of the animals and plants that fascinated me.

Though I don’t think conservation should be reserved for adult conversations, it can be hard to talk to kids what a mess they’re inheriting. My 12 year old cousin David, who wants to be a marine biologist, recently broke my heart when he told me what he wanted most in his future career was to see the Great Barrier Reef before it’s gone.

We’d like children not to have to worry about these things -- but when David grows up he’s going to care about the world around him and I believe he’ll make a difference. 

3. Oh, that is indeed a heartbreaking comment. We barely know how to talk about this crisis as adults, let alone with children. 


How was the Endangered Species Print Project conceived?

JK: Molly and I, though we enjoy our individual artistic studio practices, were frustrated with the inability of a career confined to the traditional “white walls” gallery & art world to make a real impact on the issues we cared about. We wanted to bridge the gap between art and activism with something accessible and pragmatic, without compromising on concept or artistry. Once we came up with the model to donate 100% of the funds, and the idea that the edition was linked to the species’ numbers in the wild, we realized that despite our constantly busy schedules, we had to find a way to make this happen.

Vancouver Island Marmot; wild population/print edition: 140

4. Which endangered species print was first and why?

JK: There were actually 4 prints that kicked off the project: Molly’s SeychellesSheath-tailed Bat and Vancouver Island Marmot (see above) and my Indri Lemur and Panamanian Golden Frog. We released them during July and August 2009, at the beginning of the project.

We choose these particular critically endangered species for a few reasons that continue to be the guiding principles in selecting species. Whether the artists are us or others, we always want people to choose species that are personally interesting to them. In my case I was fascinated by the behaviors of the two species I initially choose. Indris have a haunting call and a unique behavior that mimics “sun worship” -- and male Panamanian Golden frogs use an amazing system of “semaphores” to communicate dominance before wrestling for prime habitat! Who could resist! There is so much to learn from the natural world.

Though we help our guest artists find species and match them with conservation organizations, we don’t want to “assign” them a species, as I think that the personal connection makes the work stronger.

We’re also really excited when we can support smaller, more targeted, conservation organizations, so we consider this when choosing a subject for a new print. Unfortunately, when researching species, it’s not uncommon to discover an amazing endangered species only to learn that barely anything is known about it, and no one is working on its conservation.

We’ve also been contacted by conservation organizations a couple times, who were hoping to have us create a print to support their work.  We’ve been thrilled to find artists who were excited to make prints of these species -- for example Noah Scalin’s Vaquita print (see below) for ¡Viva Vaquita!, a great organization that’s working hard to protect these tiny porpoises.

Vaquita; wild population/print edition: 250

5. What sort of response have you had to the project?

JK: We have had an overwhelmingly positive response. Many people comment that the idea of linking a limited edition print with a vanishing species has really stuck in their mind. Almost since the very beginning of the project, we have been surprised and thrilled to have many artists contacting us asking to be involved, as well as many spaces that have been excited to show ESPP’s prints.

  

6. I think in your series only the Whooping Crane (above, top) is truly famous as an endangered species. One rarely hears about the Javan Rhinoceros or the Amur Leopard, which had a few minutes of fame on the BBC documentary, Planet Earth, yet both of these have less than 50 individuals in the wild. Why do you think we’re not hearing more about these and other critically endangered species?

JK: It’s true, species like the Javan Rhinoceros don’t receive very much attention from major media etc. -- but then think about how little attention the Dwarf Trout Lily (a rare and lovely plant with less than 14 populations remaining in the wild, see print at left) receives!

To get into why I think most endangered species don’t receive notice in the public forum would be to write a treatise about what I think are misplaced priorities in today’s consumer society. Nature does not seem to be a priority for many people, despite the fact that we ourselves are animals still living in a mostly natural world  -- and so for a species to make it into the popular news, it has to be particularly big, beautiful or near home, like the Whooping Crane.

Sadly, the other likely factor is that there are just so many species that are threatened with extinction. The IUCN’s Red List, which is the most widely accepted index of endangered species, lists 61,000 species as of 2011. Of course, this is not a full count, since there is never enough funding to analyze all populations and many species become extinct before ever being counted by human beings.

Another way to understand the magnitude of the extinction crisis is through percentages. About 1 in 10 birds is endangered, 1 in 4 mammals, and 1 in 3 amphibians. When you think of it this way, the numbers are staggering.

Most people are just unaware that this is going on, so one major aim of ESPP is to raise awareness. Though nature may not be obviously prioritized in popular culture, most people do care, and find these endangered species interesting, beautiful and moving if given the chance to learn or help. The Earth is being depleted of its magnificent biodiversity, and yes, it is largely due to the actions of human beings. Fortunately, this means it’s also within our power to change things.

7. It's true, the numbers are staggering. But you're actively trying to change things -- you’ve raised over $9000 and 100% of your print sale price is going to the conservation organizations that you mention on your webpage – congratulations on your fundraising and hard work. Are you happy with how the project is going?

JK: Yes, but there’s always more work to be done, and never enough hours in the day. We’d love to be able to spend lots more time on this project, since it has been so successful and fulfilling. We’re working towards our goal!

California condor; wild population/print edition: 180

8. How can readers find out more about the Endangered Species Print Project and buy your unique endangered species prints?

JK: The Endangered Species Print Project is online at http://EndangeredSpeciesPrintProject.com

where you can view, read about, and purchase prints of the 21 amazing species that ESPP is supporting so far, with the help of people like you! [Three lucky Ecofest participants will be taking home Endangered Species Print Project prints.]

You can see more of Molly Schafer’s art at http://mollyschafer.com and Jenny Kendler’s art at

http://jennykendler.com

9. Readers are reminded that these special prints make great gifts (Mother's Day is coming up!) and that you can "like" the Endangered Species Print Project on Facebook.

JK: Thanks! 

Earth Day 2012 in Boston

Get your green on in Boston this Earth Day with any of these great events:

1) The Race Against Extinction. Join the running Polar Bear for a 5K run at Artesani Park in Boston at 11am. The registration fee is $25 and proceeds go to environmental groups like the Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund.

2) Picnic for the Planet. 11am till 5 pm at the Boston Common Frog Pond. Take the Planet Out to Lunch: The Nature Conservancy will attempt to break a Guinness World Record for the largest global picnic, to the soundtrack of live music courtesy of Radio 92.9. Learn more about nature in Massachusetts, sample great local and natural foods, and enter to win free tickets to Earthfest in May.


3). GreenFilmFest for Earth Day 1130am till 6pm @ Suffolk University (Law School, 120 Tremont St.). Take in any of four green documentaries. Educate yourself. Sponsored by the Foundation for a Green Future.
Here is the program: 
1130 am Dreamland (about the choices between green energy and unspoilt nature in Iceland
120pm: H20il (about the Alberta Oil Sand project) 
252 pm: Hip Hop Rev: (about a civil rights and environmental activist)
352 pm: Future of Hope (about individuals trying to change the culture of consumerism in Iceland)


Ecofest participants will get 20 additional points for participation in any of these.


Get your green on this Earth Day! And bring your friends! 

The Elephant Project Comes to Boston University

Tomorrow night (Thursday April 19), Ecofest has a special public program featuring Miranda Loud.

I first met Miranda several years ago when she put on a program in Cambridge called “The Soul of the Night,” which interweaved readings from Chet Raymo’s book of essays, also called, “The Soul of the Night,” with projections from the Hubble Telescope and music for mezzo-soprano and baritone by Debussy, Schumann, Brahms and other composers. What a great idea, I thought. And a great program. The Boston Globe recently hailed her efforts as “the invention of a whole new genre.”


In fact, this was just after she founded Naturestage in 2006. NatureStage is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is to use the metaphorical and emotional power of the performing arts and film to explore our relationship with other species and inspire action to become global stewards.

For a project called “Reaching for the Light: Music and Images of Flowers, Plants and Spring,” former poet laureate Louise Gluck wrote a series of six poems that Loud set to music and premiered. In the “Buccaneers of Buzz: Celebrating the Honeybee,” music for voice, marimba and dance accompanied experimental video and a series of interviews with beekeepers from around the U.S. The latter won an award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which called it “a work of innovation and excellence in the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences, and which fosters community engagement.”

One of her present projects is called Park Dreams which has her recording people in different city parks sharing their visions – how to improve education in your neighborhood, how to foster empathy for each other and for other species, the role of the arts in society. About it, she says, Everyone’s dream matters, you know.”

Tomorrow night (Thursday April 19), Miranda comes to BU to tell us about another of her engaging present works, The Elephant Project. In March of 2011, she traveled with a cinematographer to Thailand to document the plight of the endangered Asian elephant and highlight our many similarities with elephants. She uses the plight of elephants and our long history with them to explore our relationship with other species, the essence of human nature, and how we can be better global stewards.

Location: KCB 101 (565 Commonwealth Avenue)

Time: 6pm. 

Open to the public and free for all.

We hope you can join us. 

Here's a printer friendly form of the flyer: 

Boston University's Earth Week

Lots of great events this week!

Ecofest is also going to BU's Earth Day.


Here's our poster, with information about our upcoming events, including a lunch seminar Wednesday
and evening presentation this Thursday.

Don't miss this great seminar on Thursday:

Eco-Poetry Slam This Monday

Please help me welcome former national poetry slam champion

Regie Gibson to Boston University this Monday for his feature

set in our Eco-Slam, part of Ecofest. Regie is an award-winning poet, spoken word artist, songwriter, actor and workshop facilitator. His 1997 film, "Love Jones", loosely based on his life about a young poet growing up in Chicago, is credited with sparking worldwide interest in poetry performances and competitive poetry "slam" events. He has lectured and performed widely in the US, Cuba and Europe and we're

lucky he's able to join our event at BU this Monday.  Feel free to bring a friend.

Here is a clip from Regie at Hampshire College in 2008:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKsp7YPfzxE

Regie's envirnomentally-themed set will be followed by members of BU's Speak for Yourself slam team and an open mic for a great night of eco-poetry. There will be door prizes as
well as prizes for the poets so come help cheer the poets on.
7pm at BU Central, this Monday.

This is an Ecofest event. All are welcome.

You can also sign up for Ecofest at www.bu.edu/ecofest (for which your attendance will on Monday will also gain you points towards cool eco-prizes). It would be great to see you on Monday night and at other Ecofest events (www.bu.edu/ecofest/calendar).

Artists and Extinction

Dusky Seaside Sparrow, former resident of Florida, declared  extinct  in 1990.  

Many artists have been tuning into the biodiversity crisis and raising awareness simply by painting endangered and extinct species. One such artist is Joanna Barnum of Baltimore, MD. She kindly agreed to answer some questions I sent her. 

1. First of all, given your scientific portraits, what's your connection to science? 

JB: My only “formal” connection to science is that I really enjoyed biology class in high school, and I enjoy gardening at home and walking in nature.  I'm just a big fan.  I come at the subject as an artist with a strong aesthetic attraction to the natural world, and a concerned citizen of the world who cares about preserving the environment and who also cares about critical thinking and reason in an age where a distressing number of people seem to be drifting away from science.

2. When did you tune into the present extinction crisis?

JB: I think endangered and extinct species are one of those things many of us study in grade school as an important topic, and then it kind of drifts from the front of our consciousness.  

Thylacine: "The Tasmanian Tiger", former resident of Australia, declared  extinct  1936

3. What inspired you to begin a series of prints on recently extinct species?

JB: I created the series in 2010 when I was invited to participate in a show at the former Positron Gallery in Baltimore, MD.  The show's title and theme was “Eschatology,” which is the theological study of the end of the world or the apocalypse.  We were allowed to take the theme in any direction we wanted, so instead of looking at mythological visions of the apocalypse, I focused on the destruction of the world that is going on already. 

The Norfolk Boobook lived on Norfolk  Island, in the  Tasman Sea and was last seen in 1996. 

4. We're all familiar with the extinction of the dodo, the passenger pigeon and the Carolina parakeet, how did you choose some of the lesser known extinct species, like the rather adorable Norfolk boobook (above), the Columbia basin pygmy rabbit and the Dusky seaside sparrow (shown at top)? 

JB: I started my research for the series as just a curious person on the internet.  I browsed all kinds of articles, lists, and databases of extinct species and read about a lot of animals I had never heard of before.  In the end, some of the species I chose to paint were a matter of practicality.  Some of these lists are HUGE, and yet I couldn't even find photos or scientific illustrations of the animals in question to get a sense of what they were like.  That seems especially sad to me.  That there are species that now seem to be no more than a line of text on a list somewhere. 

Falkland Islands Wolf, former resident of the Falkland Islands,  extinct in 1876. 

5. In your research, did you respond to some of the extinction stories more than others?

I was particularly disturbed by the stories of some animals which became extinct through a combination of overhunting and intentional eradication during the nineteenth century, such as the Falkland Islands wolf.  It's hard to imagine the attitude of entitlement that existed in a pre-conservation movement era, mankind's sense that nature was his to plunder at his whim and convenience. 

And yet, despite our greater awareness today, species are still dying as the result of our actions.  

6. What sort of response have you had to the series?

I've found that many people have been attracted to the series simply because they find the images to be pleasing colorful paintings of animals- but it's a bit of an emotional sucker punch to say “oh look at the cute bunny, pretty bird, etc.” then step closer and read the image captions, and realizing the species you're enjoying looking at no longer exists.  It wasn't completely intentional when I started painting the images for them to work that way, but it turned out to be pretty effective. 

Ultimately the people who have bought some of the paintings and prints of them have probably done so because they find the artwork attractive, but I hope in the process they are also being educated about an important issue. 

7. When one starts reading about the present crisis it becomes difficult to be optimistic that we will halt the crisis anytime soon. Did you find reasons for optimism in your research?

Looking at earlier extinction stories (such as the Falkland Island wolf I mentioned above) and comparing society's attitude in the past to the awareness that exists today, I try to be optimistic.  Most people used to think it was OK to consume as much as they wanted of the world around them and that resources were limitless.  Most people would not agree with that today, although our actions haven't caught up with our stated morals.  I hope they will.  But it's still hard not to look at the situation and be utterly terrified. 

8. Where can readers find out more about seeing or purchasing your work?

http://www.JoannaBarnum.com is my main website where you can browse most of my portfolio, and in the “shop” section there is information on how to order prints of any of my pieces. 

You can follow my blog at http://joannabarnum.wordpress.com if you want regular updates on new work, exhibits, etc.

Golden Toad, former resident of Monteverde Costa Rica, last seen in 1989. 

Some lucky Ecofest participants will be taking home prints of Joanna Barnum's work as prizes, so
sign up today! 

Comfortably Unaware

We've all heard about "sustainability" but what about "global depletion"? This is the term Dr. Richard Oppenlander uses in his book, Comfortably Unaware: Global Depletion and Food Choice Responsibility, which has been endorsed as a “must-read” by Ellen DeGeneres, Jane Goodall and Neal Barnard, M.D., among others.  Dr. Oppenlander is a sustainability and wellness advocate, writer, and speaker committed to improving the health of our planet. And he'll be appearing at BU next week in a talk sponsored by the BU Vegetarian Society. (Location and time: Sargent College on April 18^th at 7 pm at 635 Commonwealth Ave, Boston MA, in room 102. Students, faculty, and guests are all welcome to attend.)


I saw him speak at the Boston Vegetarian Festival in November and he's a dynamic speaker who comes out swinging. In one of his first slides, he mentioned that there are 7 billion people on the planet and 70 billion animals raised to feed them. Think of all the land that has to be cleared to raise these animals, all the crops required to feed them, all the waste generated and so on. No, he says, we don't want to think about it, we'd rather be comfortably unaware. Some numbers from his book: 70 percent of our rainforests have been slashed and burned to raise livestock; more than 70 percent of the grain in the US is fed to livestock; while it takes 10-20 gallons of water to produce one pound of vegetables, fruit, soybeans or grain, it takes over 5000 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat, which is not as healthy for you; an acre of land devoted to plant-based protein (vegetables, grains and/or legumes) produces 10-15 times more protein than if devoted to meat production.

Given that land conversion for agriculture is one of the leading causes of biodiversity loss, these are compelling numbers. Next week, in conjunction with Boston University’s Earth Week, Dr. Oppenlander will be presenting a three-pronged approach to the ways in which our food choices are affecting human health, the planet's health and the welfare of the animals, while discussing why sustainability initiatives would benefit from including food choice as a relevant topic in curbing global depletion. He is president and founder of an organic vegan food production and education business, an animal rescue operation, and has given hundreds of lectures, presentations, and open discussions on the topic of food choice.

Come and check him out!

We also remind you that eating less meat is one of our events at Ecofest  and you can signup for this and
other events, which run April 15-22, today. Get your green on! We've got prizes like DVDs of Planet Earth, gift certificates for restaurants that serve local food, an Ecosphere, and artistic prints of endangered and extinct species. Sign up today!

Terrific Wildlife Photo Album

Rhinos fighting during mating season in Assam, India. 

The Guardian has a great environmental column and this week they have a terrific wildlife photo album (though not all the wildlife is actually in the wild). Check it out!

Facing up to the Extinction Crisis

This is the time of year I start going a little crazy. It has nothing to do with doing my taxes, which I did remarkably early this year, or any crazy weather phenomena. It has everything to do with our upcoming Ecofest (signup starts on Monday) and whether we’re going to finally start taking the crisis in species loss seriously enough to do something about it.

As I research topics to blog about, including news items this week like Whole Foods finally agreeing to stop selling overfished species, pesticides being linked to honeybee decline (bees pollinate one third of the food we eat such as tomatoes, beans, apples and strawberries, so their decline has a huge effect on our food supply), and the Koch brothers, starring in the new documentary, Koch Brothers Exposed (stay tuned for a screening on campus), funding climate change denialism (I’m late to the party here, Greenpeace reported this in 2010), I keep coming back to endangered and extinct species.

It’s a bewildering crisis, with the dubious distinction that many of the species that populated our picture books when we were kids and ultimately fired our imaginations and dreams are suffering enormous declines due to habitat loss, pollution, introduction of invasive species, over-exploitation and climate change. These are all human-induced causes yet we live our lives as if this is someone else’s problem. Ultimately, we are impoverishing not only our wellbeing, because we rely on ecosystem services (with the ecosystem’s resident species) for clean water and filtering the air, we are impoverishing our imaginations and the imaginations of future generations by allowing so many species under our stewardship to go extinct. In addition, apart from whatever benefit we may enjoy from sharing the planet with so many diverse species, each species has its own inherent right to exist.

What drives me crazy is how little attention we’re paying to it. Clean/alternative/green energy has been soaking up more than its fair share of the environmental news pie but the reality is that if we were to develop an eco-friendly fuel to power our homes, cars, businesses and so on today we would still have the problem of over-consumption of natural resources, deforestation and the main drivers of species loss. We need to show more imagination in understanding and solving our environmental problems. 

(I think what also drives me a little crazy is that we don't yet have a proper way to grieve for the species that we know we've lost. Since I heard the story of the golden toad on a trip to Costa Rica, I've been haunted by it: brilliantly colored males seen mating with females in temporary pools in the mountains of Monteverde for a few weeks in the spring... discovered in the 1960's, not seen outside the mating period, hundreds seen in the late 1980's, then only a few, then one year, only one golden toad searching in vain for a mate.)

This week in the New York Times, Thomas Lovejoy reported on the Planet Under Pressure conference in London. The upshot is that we’re failing to act with the scale and urgency needed. We spend our days worrying about the financial system, when really, we should be devoting our energies to understanding the workings of earth’s biological systems and making sure that they remain fully functioning. As Aldo Leopold wrote, “the number one rule of intelligent tinkering is saving all the parts”.

As always, the first step is to educate ourselves. Here at BU, you can check out the screening of the documentary Call of Life, at Rich Hall this Sunday at 7pm or at the Core House on Monday night (also at 7pm). We’ll provide the eco-friendly pizza. 

Chimpanzees and Facebook

I heard two astonishing statistics this week, both from my students.

The first is that all the chimpanzees in the world couldn't fill Gillette Stadium.

Gillette Stadium can seat almost 70,000 people. Scouting about the Internet, including places like the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, where the evolutioary tree graphic to the left is from, you find that there are less than 100,000 chimpanzees left in the wild. So, you'd need to sit a bunch of them on the field, but it's astonishing to think that we humans fill football stadiums all over the world on a weekly basis, and our nearest evolutionary relatives, who numbered more than a million just twenty years ago, can barely fill one stadium. And their numbers are falling due to poaching and land conversion.

The second astonishing statistic I heard this week, also during discussion with my students, is that 1 in 8
people in the world is on Facebook. Facebook has 845 million monthly users and there are 7 billion people
in the world. Methinks we should start friending some chimpanzees before it's too late.

On Individual Action

We are gearing up for our next installment of Ecofest (after two successful years of the Ecolympics), which runs from April 15-22. In addition to the marquee events that we have planned -- we just added former National Poetry slam champion Regie Gibson to feature at our Eco-slam on April 16, we have a plethora of individual challenge events to help us raise awareness about our footprint on the environment. 

Certainly it's going to take more than committing to shorter showers, eating less meat and using reusable cups and bags to create a sustainable world, especially, according to this article by Chris Hedges, when we find out that individuals and municipalities consume only 10% of water resources while agriculture and industry gobble up 90%, but we must walk before we can run. 

All great movements start with individual action. Someone somewhere decided it was time to stand up and act. Check out these films from the Wild and Scenic Film Festival and see individual action in action. 

Here's Hilton Kelley fighting industrial pollution in Port Arthur Texas:

Here's Annie Leonard educating us that, hey, guess what, we're not broke:

I wasn't able to stay for the evening's feature, but it's a story about the founder of Bikes Not Bombs, located in Jamaica Plain and you can now see My Own Two Wheels. 

The main afternoon feature was Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan who won
the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She started a movement to plant a million trees
and on the way she helped bring down the dictatorship. The new goal for her foundation
(Maathai died of cancer in September 2011) is to plant 14 billion trees. Now
that's a goal! You can read about this very inspiration person and her work here. 







When it comes down to it, individual action is indeed about action. You can find

other great examples at the Wild and Scenic website.

Signs of Spring

Time to celebrate biodiversity and given that it's officially spring in the Northern Hemisphere, today we pay homage to an incredible natural phenomenon. Artist Chris Jordan is at Midway Island, the location of the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and the home of the world's largest population of Laysan Albatrosses. He is also filming an environmental tragedy because despite the remoteness of the island, plastic garbage (bottle caps, broken toys, lighters and so on) from all around the Pacific floats nearby and is mistaken for food by the parent albatrosses who then feed it to the chicks. With a bellyful of plastic, many of the chicks don't survive.

Here's a great 10-minute clip to show just how many birds have been nesting there this spring:


Here's a shorter clip a few weeks later showing several hatchlings:


I have blogged about plastic and Chris Jordan's work previously here or you can go
to the source and see the effects of our plastic debris at his website.