ENDANGERED SPECIES: ARTISTS ON THE FRONT LINE OF BIODIVERSITY
Ernst Haeckel (German, 1834-1919); Reef-forming coral with six-fold symmetry, from the book, Art Forms in Nature (Hexacoralla, Kunstformen der Natur), 1904; Lithographic and halftone print. Courtesy of Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology, Kansas City, MO.
September 8, 2018 – January 6, 2019; Lightcatcher
Curated by Barbara Matilsky, Curator of Art
Endangered Species: Artists on the Front Line of Biodiversity presents 80 works of art in all media, from rare books to cutting-edge video, that span the 19th through 21st centuries. It highlights artists who celebrate biodiversity’s exquisite complexity, interpret natural and human-induced extinctions of plants and animals, and focus on endangered species from diverse ecosystems. The exhibition explores art’s historic role in raising public awareness about the human activities that threaten habitats. Weaving together art, natural science, and conservation, Endangered Species also features creative solutions by ecological artists who revitalize habitats and reconnect people to the rich tapestry of life.
Endangered Species highlights an international group of 52 artists who celebrate biodiversity’s beauty, interpret natural and human-induced extinctions of plants and animals, and focus on species from diverse ecosystems under stress. It also includes the work of artists who spotlight the human activities that threaten biodiversity alongside projects that revitalize habitats and reconnect people to the rich tapestry of life.
The exhibition spotlights five thematic concepts: Celebrating Biodiversity’s Beauty and Complexity: From Landscapes to Microscopic Imagery, Mammoths and Dinosaurs: Interpreting Natural Extinction, Portraits of Loss: Extinction by Human Actions, Endangered Species: Plants and Animals on the Edge of Survival, At the Crossroads: Destruction or Preservation of Biodiversity.
Endangered Species has been organized with the intent of impacting public discourse about biodiversity while advancing the artist’s pivotal role in building awareness. By tracing links between contemporary and earlier artists, the exhibition examines art’s contribution to an enduring cultural legacy of nature conservation. Featured artists are listed below.
Major funding for the exhibition and catalogue has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Norcliffe Foundation with additional support from the City of Bellingham, Whatcom Museum Foundation and Advocates, Alexandre Gallery, and Heritage Bank. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.
-
- Andy Warhol, American, 1928 – 1987; Endangered Species, 1983; Siberian Tiger (Leo Tigris Altaica); Pine Barrens Tree Frog (Hyla Anderson); African Elephant (Loxodonta Africana); Giant Panda (Ailuropoda Melanoleuca); Bald Eagle (Haliatus Leucocephalus); Bighorn Ram (Ovis Canadensis); Black Rhinoceros (Diceros Bicornis); San Francisco Silverspot (Speyeria Callippe Callippe); Orangutan (Pongo Pygmaeus); Grevy’s Zebra (Equus Grevy); 10 Silkscreen prints, each: 38 x 38 in. © 2018 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York. Photo: D. James Dee.
-
- David W. Miller; Quezalcoatalus, 2002; (With a wing span over 40 feet, this flying reptile dominated the skies 100 million years ago). Oil and acrylic on illustration board 12 x 16 in. Courtesy of the artist.
-
- Isabella Kirkland; Gone, from the Taxa series, 2004; (63 species made extinct by human activities since 1700 and the colonization of the New World). Oil and alkyd on canvas over panel; 48 x 36 in. Private Collection.
-
- George Catlin (American, 1796 –1872); Buffalo Bull, Grazing on the Prairie, 1832-1833. Oil on canvas; 24 x 29 in. Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
-
- Nicholas Galanin; Inert Wolf, 2009. Wolf pelts and felt; 6 x 4 x 2 ½ ft. Courtesy of the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, catalogue number 2012-83/1.
-
- Patricia Johanson; Saggitaria Platyphylla Planting Plan for Fair Park Lagoon, 1982; Conte Crayon, ink, pastel on paper; 36 x 30 in. Courtesy of the artist. Responding to the lagoon’s erosion, the artist created a sculpture to protect the shoreline. It mirrors the native plant, known locally as Delta Duck-potato.
-
- Patricia Johanson; Fair Park Lagoon, Dallas, Texas, 1981-1986; View of Saggitaria Platyphylla sculpture; Gunite, 235 x 175 ft. Photos: William Pankey. Patricia Johanson reintroduced native plants and animals into the lagoon, and designed sculptural pathways for people to explore a revitalized ecosystem.
-
- Patricia Johanson; Detail of Saggitaria Platyphylla sculpture, Fair Park Lagoon, 1986.
Featured Artists:
Julie Andreyev and Simon Lysander Overstall; Canadian, b. 1962 and 1969
Sara Angelucci; Canadian, b. 1962
John James Audubon; American, 1785 – 1851
Brandon Ballengée; American, b. 1974
William P.C. Barton; American, 1786 – 1856
Antoine Louis Barye; French, 1796 – 1875
Daniel Beltrà; American and Spanish, b. 1964
Nick Brandt; British, b. 1964
Edward Burtynsky; Canadian, b. 1955
George Catlin; American, 1796 – 1872
Catherine Chalmers; American, b. 1957
David Chancellor; British, b. 1961
Xavier Cortada; American, b. 1964
Mark Dion; American, b. 1961
Dornith Doherty; American, b. 1957
Michael Felber; American, b. England, 1946
Madeline von Foerster; American, b. 1973
Nicholas Galanin; Tlinget/Aleut, b. 1979
Penelope Gottlieb; American, b. 1952
Ernst Haeckel; German, 1834 – 1919
Martin Johnson Heade; American, 1819 – 1904
Patricia Johanson; American, b. 1940
Chris Jordan; American, b. 1963
Harri Kallio; American, b. Finnish, 1970
Sanna Kannisto; Finnish, b. 1974
Darius and Tabitha Kinsey; American, 1869 – 1945 and 1875 – 1963
Isabella Kirkland; American, b. 1954
Charles Knight; American, 1874 – 1953
Adam Kuby; American, b. 1961
Garth Lenz; Canadian
David Liittschwager; American, b. 1961
John Martin; British, 1789 – 1854
Courtney Mattison; American, b. 1985
Daniel McCormick and Mary A. O’Brien; American, b. 1950 and 1952
Susan Middleton; American, b. 1948
David W. Miller; American, b. 1957
Macoto Murayama; Japanese, b. 1984
Edouard Riou; French, 1833 – 1900
Alexis Rockman; American, b. 1962
Christy Rupp; American, b. 1949
Joel Sartore; American, b. 1962
Preston Singletary; American Tlingit, b. 1963
Brian Skerry; American, b. 1961
Carl Strüwe; German, 1898 – 1888
Jason deCaires Taylor; British, b. 1974
Fred Tomaselli; American, b. 1956
Tom Uttech; American, b. 1942
Roman Vishniac; American, b. Russia, 1897 – 1990
Jason Walker; American, b. 1973
Andy Warhol; American, 1928 – 1987
Yang Yongliang; Chinese, b. 1980
Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun; Canadian First Nations (Coast Salish and Okanagan), b. 1957