“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”
-Rachel Carson
The inspiration for the eco art workshop came from an in-depth look into specialized relationships between insects and their host plants described by Douglas W Tallamy in Natures Best Hope. Our entire ecosystem depends on these relationships, but most people know nothing about them.
Not all plants support ecological function. Tallamy identifies “keystone” species; plants which support a huge amount of insects, birds and animal species, and are essential to biodiversity and ecological health.
To familiarize myself with these plants I began to draw them, and soon found drawing to be a means of understanding; sparking compassion between subject and artist.
The eco art workshop nurtures the art of noticing; an extended form of attention through foraging, identification, and drawing that facilitates regard for others. Through the act of foraging and hunting we can identify the plants that grow in our neighborhoods, but it’s through drawing we begin to know them.
The workshop is designed for all ages. I especially want to encourage parents, grandparents and children to come together. It’s never too early to learn about nature and it’s never too late.
As we begin to know the plants that grow around us we can begin to understand how to generate biodiversity and ecosystem function through ecological networks. There isn’t enough wildland left to sustain us indefinitely, but if we transform the land we already use to become more ecologically rich, we can promote biodiversity health at home.
One’s art practice can be the first step in creating an ethic of conservation in an urban environment.
Facilitator AND artist
Sylvia Rack
Sylvia Rack has been identifying and illustrating plants for over 20 years. She is an active member of For Our Kids MTL and the David Suzuki Foundation’s Butterfly Rangers.
Currently an MFA candidate at Concordia University, Sylvia’s practice explores the unseen ecological and social relationships of human and more than human worlds.
"The site-specific research brings deeper awareness to urban-space-
users. It's an important element of civic awareness, that ideally will pollinate elsewhere."
-Maya
"I walk by the garden on a regular basis and had never given it any attention. giving us a handout with a contributive spreadsheet allows us to dig deeper in our relation with the space." -Nathalie