"Begin, though, not with a continent or a country or a house, but with the geography closest in--the body. Theory--the seeing of patterns, showing the forest as well as the trees--theory can be a dew that rises from the earth and collects in the rain cloud and returns to earth over and over. But if it doesn't smell of the earth, it isn't good for the earth."
- Adrienne Rich 1
Ecological art movements in the 1990s emerged as a response to growing concern about environmental issues that plague planet Earth. More specifically, people are beginning to understand that "the planet" includes their own communities. Christo's Earth Wrap powerfully signals the dual tension, the moral and ethical dilemma humans face day to day as care-givers, earthkeepers, and /or stewards of the natural environment. The earth is not an object to be possessed like a package, easily given, received, exchanged, and opened. However, sustainable development is not yet a global way of life.
Environmental awareness has increased about toxic wastes, forest depletion, water and air pollution, animal and plant extinction, and a multitude of other environmental crises that affect various corners of the world. Concerned about the current predicament of an unhealthy earth, special interest groups, such as the Greens, Friends of the Earth, Earth Island Institute, United Nations Environment Program, to name only a few, have cautioned that the solution is much more complex than placing a few items in a recycling bin or donating funds to a forest or wildlife preservation foundation.
Ecological problems are deeply connected with historical, economic, social, cultural, and political forces that influence and affect industrialization and capitalism in progressive societies. It is widely accepted that for the ecological malaise to improve, people will need to change their everyday activities that are out of balance with their environments. Contemporary ecological artists and art educators are actively involved in posing problems and finding solutions to various environmental issues through local and global affirmation, advocacy, and education.
earth \'erth\ n [ME erthe, fr. OE eorthe; akin to OHG erda earth, Gk era] 9bef. 12c0 1: the fragmental material composing part of the surface of the globe; esp: cultivated soil 2: the sphere of mortal life as distinguished from spheres of spirit life--compare HEAVEN and HELL 3 a: areas of land as distinguished from sea and air b: the solid footing formed of soil ; GROUND 4 often cap: the planet on which we live that is the third from the sun - see PLANET table 5 a: the people of the planet earth b: the mortal human body c: the pursuits, interests, and pleasures of earthly life as distinguished from spiritual concerns 6 : the lair of a burrowing animal 7 : an excessive amount of money - used with the <real suede, which costs the ~ to clean - Joanne Winship> - earth like. (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, p. 363)
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environment\ in-'vi-re(n)-ment, -'vi(-e)r(n)-\ n (1827) 1: thecircumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded; 2 a: the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors (as climate, soil, and living things) that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival; b: the aggregate of social and cultural conditions that influence the life of an individual or community 3: the position or characteristic position of a linguistic element in a sequence syn see BACKGROUND - en vi ron men tal \-,vi re(n)-'men-tal,-,vi(-e)r(n)-\ adj - en vi ron men tal ly \-tal-e\adv. (Merriam Webster's CollegiateDictionary, Tenth Edition, p. 388)
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ecology \i-kä-le-je,e-\ n, pl -gies [G Okologie, fr. öko-eco + logie - logy] (1873) 1: a branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environments 2: the totality or patterns of relations between organisms and their environment 3: HUMAN ECOLOGY -ecological\,e-ke-'la-ji-kel, e-ke-\ also ecologic \-jik\adj - ecologically \-ji-k(e-)le\adj-ecologist\i-ka-le-jist,e-\n (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, p.365)
eco- comb from [LL oeco- household, fr. Gk oik-, oiko, fr. fr.oikos house - more at VICINITY] 1: habitat or environment <ecospecies>2: eco-logical or environmental <ecocatastrophe> (Merriam Webster'sCollegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, p. 365)
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education \,e-je-'ka-shen\ n (1531) 1 a: the action or processof educating or being educated; also: a stage of such a process b: theknowledge and development resulting from an educational process [a man of little ~]2: the field of study that deals mainly with methods of teaching and learningin schools - educational \-shnel, -shenal\ adj - educational \-e\adv.(Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, p. 367)
1. Solnit, R. (1994). Elements of a new landscape. In M. Friedman (Ed.), Visions of America: Landscape as Metaphor in the Late Twentieth Century (pp. 100-118). New York: Abrams Inc.
2. A Guide to Curriculum Planning in Environmental Education, (1985). Department of Education. Madison, Wisconsin.