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Celebrating the Columbia Wetlands
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 by GetawayBC.com
Wildsight and the Art Gallery of Golden (AGOG) will be presenting a mixed-media art exhibit that explores the Columbia River and Wetlands. The exhibit, called Columbia Wetlands-Natural Inspiration, opens on Jan. 31 to commemorate World Wetland Day on Feb. 2.
Top studio artists from the Columbia Valley, the Kootenays and Calgary will be represented, including Jane Tevelein Doel, a clay artist from B.C.
In a recent press release, Doel said, “Those of us living side-by-side with the Columbia Wetlands have a chance to passionately speak up for one of the last wild stretches of a once-wild river, in whatever way we are able.”
She said her piece, Mother Columbia, is composed of raku-fired clay tiles. Some of which she said contain clay dug from the banks of the Columbia River.
“An artist can respond to beauty in a landscape, and the viewer responds,” Doel said, adding, “But today, the shadow of something urgent accompanies the experience of both artist and viewer alike. The very being of the landscape is threatened.”
Bill Usher, executive director of Kicking Horse Culture and the AGOG, said he believes that the exhibit will create a long-lasting effect.
“Artists derive inspiration from the Columbia Wetlands and create lasting legacies from that inspiration. The gallery exhibit, print catalogue and the website exhibit will all facilitate long-term appreciation of both the artists’ work and this wild and powerful place that we are blessed to live beside.”
Ellen Zimmerman, program manager for Wildsight, explained why a conservation organization and an art gallery came together on the exhibit with a Columbia Wetlands theme.
“Wildsight believes that conservation gains are achieved through public education and raising awareness. Artists in all media have a unique vision. The environmental science is very important but art can engage our senses and stir our feelings. Natural Inspiration will touch people’s hearts and inspire us all to help sustain the Columbia Wetlands. We hope that the project will move viewers to a greater understanding, appreciation and stewardship of this natural treasure. It is also an opportunity to support local artists.”
Zimmerman went on to say that she hopes to instill a love of the wetlands from the public that is as strong as she herself feels.
“When you really come to love something so very strongly, you end up puttings its best interests before your own. I want people to come to this exhibit, fall in love and care about it as passionately as I do.”
Robert Bateman, a Canadian wildlife artist and conservationist, contributed to the exhibit with a limited edition print and a foreword to the catalogue. The Golden Community Foundation, Columbia Basin Trust and the Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners also supported the project.
The work in the gallery exhibit will be for sale. A limited edition, full-colour, 32 page print catalogue will be available for sale through the gallery. Columbia Wetlands – Natural Inspiration will also be published on the internet at www.kickinghorseculture.ca/agog. Columbia Wetlands – Natural Inspiration opens on Jan. 31 with a reception from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the AGOG and runs through until March 28.
According to a recent press release, The Columbia Wetlands are more than 180 kilometres in length, making them some of the longest intact wetlands in North America. This biologically-diverse expanse is the headwaters of the Columbia River, the largest river flowing into the Pacific Ocean from North America. They were chosen as Ramsar Wetlands of International Significance in 2005. These 25,000-hectare wetlands represent one of the few remaining intact portions of the Pacific Flyway, a crucial path for migrating birds. Because so many of the wetland ecosystems on the Columbia River have been lost through damming, draining and flooding, the Columbia Wetlands are even more important for wildlife and migratory birds. During spring and fall migration periods, tens of thousands of birds representing hundreds of species can be found resting and feeding in the Columbia Wetlands.
For more information on the upcoming exhibit at the AGOG, contact Bill Usher, executive director for Kicking Horse Culture and the AGOG at 250-344-6186, or by email at info@kickinghorseculture.ca.
For more information on Wildsight, contact Ellen Zimmerman, program director, at 250-348-2225 or by email at ellen@wildsight.ca.;