Inspire through art

Helping people to be moved into
earth-caring acts through the arts

Speaking from the standpoint of an artist, these times of sobering planetary events seem to be a call to bring forth creative expressions that instill a sense of hope and purposeful action. And we as humans need to bring that forth into our daily lives now more than ever. While what motivates us into action is varied, works of art and being involved in the creation of it offers an opportunity to express as well as to witness the responses of the human condition in relation to climate change, our concerns for the Earth and life upon it, including our own. It can help to move one beyond the inert contraction of fear and into the realm of clear-sighted action….on behalf of the Earth.

The goal for the projects listed below is to do just that and to display these projects for the public to view in our community. We hope that you will be interested in participating in their creation, whether through materials donation or in the submission of your own art for viewing.

Thank you for caring for the earth.
Jodi Riverstone

Ways to stay proactive within the current challenging times

So much of Earth Week goals and events have had to be canceled or greatly modified in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The challenge for all of us is to rise above any tendency for fear-based entrapment in our thinking and gain/regain focus on the larger picture of which we all are an interconnected part….LIFE and the Living of it on this beautiful, diverse and unfortunately fragile planet upon which we live….our Earth… and giving to that LIFE the best responsive action that we can offer to it.

Indeed, we have all been challenged by the disruption of our normal lives. With that in mind the focus of Earth-caring art projects for Earth Week and in the weeks after is shifting to what can be done from home and, for now anyway, finding ways to share our creations on the internet through this website. We are hopeful for more inclusive events when that is prudent.

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Current Community Art Projects to Join

Earth Art Exhibit:
When Shi(f)t Happens: Responding to a World of Change

This exhibit has no solid date set yet due to the current COVID-19 events but will open when Studio Bob can allow for larger public gatherings during phase 4….hopefully in late July or early August.  The original plan was to focus this exhibit on planetary issues pertaining to the environment as there is so much to be expressed there alone.   That in itself feels like a fuse that is lit with the timer ticking.  However, so much has happened since that initial exhibit proposal that one’s sense of normalcy, economic stability, social and political justice can easily be, and probably has been, shaken to the core.

This is as an invitation for us to allow the need to express our response to and vision for the world in which we live in view of all that is taking place at this time:  Climate instability that threatens environmental collapse, racial injustice, immigration derailment and heartbreak, disengagement from a sense of global responsibility, distrust in our government,  fractured citizenry…to name a few.   Now it feels as if there are multiple fuses lit….

The challenge is to remain present each day and bring forth the best of ourselves to it.  As artists we have the opportunity to express our vision for a world that can be different.  It requires us to remain awake and open still with curiosity, wonder and especially HOPE in the midst of what at times seems dire.  Together, each day we can believe in and bring out our vision of hope into the world through the creative process of living life.  In accessing our own personal response to what moves us and stirs awareness we can also bring that out in creative works.  Share it so that others may be so moved.   May we light a fuse to HOPE and awareness that helps to shift this world of change.

Below are a few statements from which to draw inspiration:
“We are of the Earth”
“Earth as Teacher: What are we learning now?”
“Be the change on behalf of the Earth”
“One Earth, One People”
“Respect All Life”
“We are all a part of the Human Race”
“What happened to Honesty, Integrity and Justice?”

We look forward to seeing the fruits of your creation included in what will certainly prove to be a potent display.  Contact Jodi Riverstone at jriverstone@outlook.com or Studio Bob at sculptorbobstokes@yahoo.com for more information about participating in this event.

Jodi Riverstone

Tree Speech

This Earth Day project “Tree Speech,” engages people in honoring the trees in our neighborhoods,by making simple signs that appear as if held by the tree itself. The signs offer messages that individual trees have to tell us about themselves and their many gifts. Hopefully, as we actively engage with these magnificent beings, messages will emerge as we sit at the foot of trees, or perhaps climb them.
This is an art project of 350Eugene