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Culture Builds Florida is a new initiative of the Florida Division of Cultura Affairs placing emphasis on the role of the arts in Florida's prosperity.
EcoArt South Florida is delighted and honored to be the first cultural organization featured on the new Florida Division of Cultural Affairs’ initiative: Culture Builds Florida blog!! Thanks so much to Jennifer Hoesing for giving us the spotlight!!
Highlighted in our interview are pioneer projects in our region by South Florida EcoArtists Michael Singer and Xavier Cortada, emerging EcoArtist Jesse Etelson (a graduate of EcoArt SoFla’s pilot EcoArt apprenticeship in Martin County (2009-2010), as well as the first ever EcoArt project in Florida (completed 2004, restoration completed 2011), by Jackie Brookner and Angelo Ciotti, in Dreher Park, West Palm Beach.
And, of course, we answer questions you may have!
Here is an excerpt which gives you an idea of how the interview goes…please see the Culture Builds Florida blog for the complete interview, and forward the link to the interview to friends and colleagues. Thanks in advance!!
DCA: What does EcoArt do for South Florida?
EcoArt South Florida: EcoArt practice has many identities. All contribute to the community. Most involve the community at every level of the planning, design and creation of
EcoArt projects.
In addition to our consultations with communities we have identified as EcoArt Nodes, and continuing to develop our pilot community education and artist apprenticeship program, EcoArt South Florida is also currently working on three program aspects that we believe have great potential for inspiration, education and engagement of the public:
1. First, the integration of Public EcoArt at the design stage of urban buildings and neighborhoods that will be seeking LEED or other green certification. EcoArt South
Florida is working with the South Florida chapter of the US Green Building Council on this.
2. Secondly, engaging EcoArt with greening the public schoolyard. EcoArt South Florida has been reaching out to public school districts, teachers and administrators through the annual LEARN GREEN conferences; and we are in the process of working with a math and science middle school to develop what will probably be the first comprehensive outdoor classroom in South Florida.
3. And finally, modeling a new kind of urban streetscape featuring a variety of Florida native canopy trees (instead of the “monoculture” approach currently used) and understory vegetation that encourages the return of pollinators and birds. EcoArt South Florida is involved with a consortium of organizations developing a pilot of this kind of streetscape. Our partners include the grass roots West Palm Beach organization Northwood GREENlife that is taking the lead, the Palm Beach chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, 1000 Friends of Florida and the Center for Creative Education. In addition to the creation of a multiple-species Florida native urban forest pilot streetscape that can be replicated widely, the project will also incorporate arts: sculpture, ceramics, video, storytelling, performance and a community celebratory procession/parade once the planting has been completed.
