It has been a while since I have made a piece of furniture. Getting the legs at the right angle for stability and getting the back branch in just the right spot for comfort are both critical. I am not sure I am there yet.
Symbiosis Celebration — Performance Art — incorporating economics and fashion.
My research into fast fashion for my bison sculpture’s new location in an old Forever 21 has me dreaming of a unique, symbolic sculpture for my latest social sculpture endeavor, Symbiosis Celebration. I searched the resale online sites for a used/vintage acrylic bag. A simple bag, sculptural in shape, that I would fill with the large bills and dead butterflies in the Eco-System piece in my 2022 portfolio. However, as I explored acrylic vintage bags and thought about how to intertwine fashion to elevate my Symbiosis Celebration work, an idea was born. I discovered the Hermes-designed clear acrylic tote that originated during the 1996 Paris terror attacks as a tribute piece and in response for the lives lost in that tragic event and the follow-up tote for the 1997 'Hermès Souvenir de l’Exposition. The underside reads ‘Un Voyage au Pays de Merveilles’, which translates to ‘A Trip to Wonderland’.
The trip to wonderland' is the inspiration for my new work - but with a new Anthropocene symbolism behind it.
I will wear the iconic clear vintage purse filled with drop-dead gorgeous dead butterflies and large bills to the Lawndale's upcoming brunch, where my living sculpture Symbiosis is and where my idea for urban eco-tourism was born; this recycled wonderland bag promises to draw attention with a new purpose and all thanks to its meaningful content and viral hashtag potential! When Symbiosis Celebration takes off, truly the world will transform into Wonderland the Hermes team dreamed of.
On a side note, my brief research into Hermes revealed they are and have been a leader in eco concious slow fashion.
Me in my closet deciding how and what to wear with the Hermes tote. Imagine it full of bills and butterflies. I could not decide whether to go minimalist or put my best fashion foot forward. So I decided to consult with one of my favorite edgy and fashion-forward textiles artist and fashionista, Loren Siems, and Houston’s Kick Pleat team.
Wish me luck.
At the event
Image by Laura Bolton.
At the event
Image by Laura Burlton
Root To Water
ROOT TO WATER
12” X 18” X 12”
found objects: rusted steel irrigation wheel, root.
2020
photo by Nash Baker
“How fleeting are the wishes and efforts of man! how short his time! and consequently how poor will his products be, compared with those accumulated by Nature during whole geological periods.”
—Charles Darwin, Origin of the Species
Root to Water offers hope. The root, placed with the root system up, takes on anthropomorphic characteristics, as the widespread irrigation wheel’s legs are firmly grounded, the humanized root’s bent over posture and downward-pointing arm are alive with discovery, the root’s hair like tendrils are actively rewiring its human anthropomorphic brain. This rewiring is happening across the globe, in the most desolate of landscapes citizen conservationists are studying natural law and finding solutions to their man-made problems.
In Root to Water, the irrigation wheel symbolizes mechanistic systems. The root in its natural state represents ecological systems. With this duo, I propose that modern civilization has reached an advanced stage of industrialization. In order to progress to the next stage of civilization we must heed Darwin’s observation, and answer the question how do we pair mechanical innovation with the systems that have functioned through “whole geological periods.” I placed the root above the wheel supporting Darwin’s view of natural systems superiority to human innovation.
Repurposing two tools from agronomy, Root to Water shifts how we see mechanical systems versus naturally occurring systems. In this sculpture, a modern innovation—a rusting, decorative, human-made irrigation wheel—serves as a pedestal for an organic found object that often goes unseen: a root system. With this pairing, I exhibit man’s historical struggle to transition to an agricultural-based society utilizing human-made innovations that extract natural resources instead of harnessing existing ecological systems that regenerate resources.
Communities across the planet are experiencing extreme cases of natural disasters. Houston has experienced three 500-year floods in three years. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study, proposing options for controlling floodwaters costing up to $12 billion. The report does not include conveyance options that are local nature-based cost-effective solutions.
A growing number of conservationists are using natural systems, specifically roots, as a tool for water transportation, carbon sequestration and as a means to cool the planet. Meanwhile, industrial agricultural produces products that are depleting the organic matter, releasing carbon from the soil, and contributing to global warming. As evidence consider, “Each 1 percent increase in soil organic matter helps soil hold 20,000 gallons more water per acre.” In contrast, industrial methods strip the soil (releasing carbon), use petroleum-based inputs to enrich the soil and kill pests. Root to Water elevates roots as a natural system that transports water, minerals and carbon; stabilizes soil; and is instrumental in cooling Earth’s surface—a live-able solution for global warming.
My research-based art looks at the natural history of living soil and how it can be used to restore natural resources that is not commonly understood. I champion natural solutions to environmental issues with a focus on urban landscapes. Root to Water is part of my Endangered Knowledge work, a body of work in progress.
“Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.”
Further Reading
-Judith D. Schwartz, The Reindeer Chronicles, Water in Plain Site, and Cows Will Save the Planet
-Kiss the Ground, Directed by Joshua and Rebecca Tickell, with Woody Harrelson
-Organic Matter Can Improve Your Soil's Water Holding Capacity
-The Loess Plateau was the, most highly erodible soil on earth”
Camouflage, fire ants and anole
When maintaining “Symbiosis” and when I observe urban landscapes, I see the beauty in decaying plants and the tiny creatures they protect. This brown anole is a garden beneficial, keeping fire ants and other insects in check. Without camouflage, they are prey for birds, snakes, and some spiders. As an artist I find beauty through systems thinking and a balanced ecosystem.
Can you find him/her mimicking a dried, twisted leaf?
Cuenod Wedding gift -day #1
Today I started an important family piece—a wedding gift for my daughter Sage and son-in-law Cameron who married during Covid. I have not welded since finishing the bison piece June- October of 2021. Sumner welding without AC was brutal. As a result starting this piece is long over due. I wanted to work on it and enjoy the process.
Below is the first day of planning, cutting, grinding and welding.
I plan as I go. Today I am building the basic armature. In the end it will be gnarly and twisted full of worm holes..
The seat structure is inspired by the joining of two strong personalities that merge and then support each other.
Playing with the pieces and thinking about Sage and Cameron I decided to have two seating areas- think tete a tete. I am picturing the front seat for sitting and the smaller back seat for a small child to stand on and hug their parents necks. The French history is fitting the Curnod family history. I think it will be great for future family pictures.
I am giving the bench a lower seating height making it climbable for small children.
Six legs should be stable enough.
Without air conditioning December welding gets my vote.
Viceroy and the Monarch
A Monarch mimic-
Viceroy butterfly and Seaside goldenrod. I thought it was a Monarch however it was a Minarch mimic. “Müllerian mimicry is a natural phenomenon in which two or more well-defended species, often foul-tasting and sharing common predators, have come to mimic each other's honest warning signals, to their mutual benefit. The benefit to Müllerian mimics is that predators only need one unpleasant encounter with one member of a set of Müllerian mimics, and thereafter avoid all similar coloration, whether or not it belongs to the same species as the initial encounter.”wikipedia
Golden-reined Digger Wasp - fascinating and gentle despite its sinister appearance.
Planet Popsicles — and spam
I received a spam email this summer with a bold photo of a popsicle asking, “How do you cool off in the heat of the summer?” I immediately thought about how the planet cools off. That spam email inspired these ephemeral sculptures, I used the materials mother nature uses to cool the planet.
PLANET POPSICLES
6” X 1” X 12” ephemeral
Sticks, H20, Passionflower, Fall obedient plant, and American Beautyberry
PLANET POPSICLES
6” X 6” X 24” ephemeral
Sticks, H20, Passionflower, Fall obedient plant, and American Beautyberry, Beatles, Pokeweed, Scarbs, Golden Rod, passed butterflies, and passed moths
Tipping Point
Tipping Point
36” X 24” X 36”
Bronze, Rebar and Concrete.
Our past actions formed the precarious state of our environment. What we do today shapes our future. This piece suggests a caring and protective relationship between natural systems and urban development has extraordinary potential. I believe the human species has the creative capability to make our cities lush and diverse carbon sinks. My work investigates these possibilities.
Symbiosis Relationships 10/2022
New World Giant Swallowtail and Milkweed and the health of Monarchs. This tropical mikweed HAS to be cut down November 1. The Milkweeds are the host plants for Monarchs. They need to move south by November and won’t head south if Tropical Milkweed is available as a host.
Monarch and Climbing Hempvine. Climbing Hempvine is an aromatic delight. It reminds me if warmed sweet honey. The Monarchs agree.
Purple Coneflower and the Gulf Fritillary Butterfly.
Mockingbirds and the fence. I have learned that birds need habitats with multiple elevations. The fence is a popular place for birds to look for insects and tiny toads to eat while keeping an eye on predators.
Monarch and Climbing Hempvine.
Ask upper of the Hesperiini family
Gulf fritillaryon American beauty berry.
GulfFritillary on Marsh fkeabane pictured below.
Marsh fleabane
Gulf fritillary and Lawndale’s mailbox. Over a few weeks the count in the doorway climbed to over 200.
In identified mushrooms.
Carpenter bee
Gukf Fritillary are eating everything
How nature arranges itself
Chrysalis on crabgrass stem
Morning glory, mile a minute vine.
Carpenter bee and Obedient flower
The White viened pipevinesis is the host plant for the Pipelvine swallowtails. I wish I had more. The caterpillars devoures it, and then it comes back.
Cloudless Sulphur and Turkscap
Hemiargus ceraunus, it blue ceraunus,an d pasted native plants.
Monarch and Blue mist flower
Northern Mocking bird perched on the fence.
Northern Mockingbird and trough pond
Hesperiina And Frogfruit
Pushfly and Passiflora leaf
True Sparrow stays in messy bush like spaces for safety and for a source of caterpillars
American snout butterfly
Gulf Fritillary with OE
“Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) is a debilitating protozoan parasite that infects monarchs. Infected adult monarchs harbor thousands or millions of microscopic OE spores on the outside of their bodies. When dormant spores are scattered onto eggs or milkweed leaves by infected adults, monarch larvae consume the spores, and these parasites then replicate inside the larvae and pupae. Monarchs with severe OE infections can fail to emerge successfully from their pupal stage, either because they become stuck or they are too weak
to fully expand their wings. Monarchs with mild OE infections can appear normal but live shorter lives and cannot fly was well as healthy monarchs.
Although recent research shows that tropical milkweed can lower OE replication within infected monarchs (due to high levels of cardenolide toxins), this might not benefit the monarch population. In
fact, this could actually promote disease spread by allowing moderately infected
I PROJECT MONARCH
HEALTH
monarchs that otherwise would have died quickly following eclosion to live longer and spread more parasite spores.“- monarch parasites.
Symbiosis Celebration: Eco—Systems
ECO—SYSTEMS
size varies
financial gain and passed butterflies.
Image by Nash Baker
Symbiosis Celebration
social sculpture
—from Chemical Plants to Native Plants—
Native Wildflowers, Food, Art, Music and Migration
Fall color tourism contributes $1 billion per year to North Carolina. Houston has fall and spring color migration; we can cultivate them into tourism and build soil health.
“For profit is the fuel that will change society's landscape practices to embrace the planet's ecological systems in Houston. Applying economics and industrial concepts to my work, I see ecotourism as an untapped resource that can strengthen our environmental and economic health. I propose nurturing and marketing Houston’s ecotourism, through a Symbiosis Celebration of migration, that ultimately encourages and celebrates new mutualistic relationships between Houstonians and the planet. Through fostering relationships that regenerate Houston's micro-ecosystems, we will move our reputation from Chemical Plants to Native Plants — we can prosper as the Green Energy City.” — cindee travis klement
“If you dig deep and keep peeling the onion, artists and freelance writers are the leaders in society - the people who start to get new ideas out.” — Allan Savory
In April 2021, I installed the first native plants in Symbiosis, in Lawndale's Mary E. Bawden Sculpture Garden. Within two months, Symbiosis exploded with bountiful native blooms. Plants expected by the Ladybird Wildflower website to be one to three feet tall in Symbiosis were instead two to four feet tall. In June, the endangered native bees started returning. In the first twelve months, I have witnessed seventy new species in the space: from bird nest fungus to Red Admirals, Monarchs and skippers, skimmers, one of the bumblebees listed as endangered, Bombus pensylvanicus, treefrogs, toads and birds.
Building Mutual Symbiotic Relationships to Power Ecological Recovery
In preparation for the celebration I envision cultivating relationships among the City of Houston, local property owners, Houston's indigenous landscape and its wildlife, soil and climate, food, restaurant, music, visual and performing arts, museums and professional sports team communities.
The following steps will contribute to building these relationships:
· The business and private property owners will need to redirect their existing landscape budgets to native plants that support our wildlife.
· These new landscape practice guidelines will align with the Mayor's Office of Sustainability and Resilience.
· New native wildflower and grass landscapes will slow rainwater, allowing it to soak in and return to the aquifer to cool the planet while sequestering carbon and storing it in the ground where it is stable, providing food and safe habitats for our indigenous wildlife.
· The approximately six hundred species of birds, four hundred and thirty species of butterflies, eight hundred species of Texas native bees, one thousand species of moths, eighteen species of dragonflies, thirty species of turtles, including two box turtles, and seventy-two species of amphibians native to Texas will expand their populations in our city.
· Houston's creatives in the food, restaurant, music, visual and performing arts, museums and professional sports industries will respond to the new mutualistic/symbiotic relationships among Houston's landowners and our unique plant and wildlife in exciting creative ways and performances during the celebratory periods.
· The City of Houston will promote, market, and support the above-described new relationships with its services infrastructure, completing the mutualistic relationship that will support Houston's economy and ecosystems.
Why Houston Can Support Ecotourism
Although Symbiosis taught me the speed with which an urban landscape can transform into a wildlife haven, it was not until I was in Fredericksburg that I realized Houston's ecology is an untapped tourist economy. When you combine Houston's rich soil, high humidity, heat and long growing seasons with the indigenous native plant landscapes supported by Houston's urban irrigated commercial and park landscapes, Houston's native plant wildflower and wildlife tourism can far exceed those of the small towns in Central Texas. Another tremendous asset is Houston's central geographic location in the bird and butterfly migration paths between the North and South American continents and our proximity to the Gulf Coast. Texas has the most butterfly species of any state in the United States. Houston's inner city is 600 square miles; our "sprawl" is an asset to urban ecotourism.
As additional support that Houston can be an ecotourism powerhouse, I have read that one of New York City's most popular tourist attractions is The High Line's native landscaping. In North Texas, Plano also uses wildflowers and music to attract tourism dollars.
Funding
I see businesses and organizations all over the city which are starting to take advantage of the ecological benefits of native landscapes. Unfortunately, many other property owners (business and home) are unaware of the economic and environmental benefits of native plant landscaping. They spend $50-$100 per hour for weekly maintenance and $4—$12 per square foot for seasonal plantings, while also incurring high water usage and bills. Suppose the City appeals to these businesses and individuals to convert their existing non-ecological landscape budgets to native wildflower and grass landscapes. In that case, the City can promote a native plant/wildflower and wildlife, food, arts and music festival that will symbiotically support native ecological systems. The supporting businesses can profit from the tourism they generate.
The Texas Can-Do Spirit
Systems thinking to mitigate climate through industry and the arts is a new territory — will Houstonians embrace this new field of thinking? In Texas, that depends on how you ask and present the need. In our recent history, from Katrina to hurricane Harvey, unsolicited Houstonians volunteered to help their neighbors. In 1901, wildcatters discovered Spindletop, drawing people worldwide to build a better life in unknown territory. “Wildcatter” is used to describe one that drills wells in areas not known to be producing fields. The spirit of the wildcatter is deep in our Texas Can-Do Spirit. It is in our nature to embrace a new field of wild.
Why Big Ideas Are Important.
“The climate needs big, public, audacious goals that everyone can contribute to,” he argues. “Cathedrals were not completed in the lifetime of anyone starting them, but communities bought into these projects.” -The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/12/19/climate-change-cathedral-project/
Symbiosis — Gerhert Prairie Rescue plants
Gerhart Prairie in a drought
On October 7th, I was invited to participate in rescuing prairie plants from the Gerhart Prairie south of Houston. The Prairie, I believe, is part of the Texas Nature Conservancy. A manufacturer has a fenced-off area on the property. They will put in a road through the prairie to service the fenced-in operations. We were rescuing the plants in the designated place on the future road. Several Master Naturalists identified plants, as did Mark Morganstern of Morningstar Nursery. Mark kindly reaches out to me when free and needy plants are available.
That Saturday, I received an amazing list of the plants I rescued.
1.) Helianthus angustifolia (aka Swamp Sunflower)
this is the tall 'sunflower' plant with the very narrow leaves that have the edges rolled under.
(I think I may have inadvertently referred to this as Maximillian Sunflower, which is not what this is)
2.) Baptisia sphaerocarpa (aka Yellow Wild Indigo or Yellow False Indigo)
this plant is a small subshrub in the Fabaceae (Pea Family); it has trifoliate leaves without subending bractlets and it has bright yellow flowers borne on erect inflorescences. Its fruits are round, hence the Latin name sphaerocarpa which literally means 'round fruit'. It will bloom in the spring.
3.) Euthamia leptocephala (aka Bushy Goldentop)
This plant is in the Asteraceae (Sunflower Family) and is closely related to the goldenrods (Solidago spp.). Euthamias have round-topped inflorescences rather that the 'open-spray'-shaped inflorescences of the goldenrods. There are two species of Euthamia in our area -- the other is Euthamnia gymnospermoides (aka Texas Goldentop) -- it have longer and much narrower leaves than does E. leptocephala.
4.) Croton lindheimeri (aka Woolly Croton or Lindheimer's Hogwort)
This plant is a member of the Euphorbiaceae (Spurge Family). It has very small unisexual flowers surrounding by a yellowish tomentose hairs; the female flowers are borne near the base of the inflorescence while the male flowers are bunched near the apex of the inflorescence. This seeds of this species are an important food source for quail and dove and the plant is a larval host for several species of butterfly.
5.) Neptunia pubescens (aka Tropical Puff)
A member of the Fabaceae (Pea Family) in the Mimosoid clade (or subfamily) which means it does not have typical pea-shaped flowers. The flowers are bunched onto a round receptacle or head, each with a small inconspicuous corolla, but the numerous long stamens are quite showy. Neptunia pubescens sprawls along the ground. It is larval host plant for the ceranus blue (Hemiargus ceranus) butterfly and its seeds are consumed by many wildlife species.
6.) Lythrum alatum var. lanceolatum (aka Winged Loosestrife)
This member of the Lythraceae (Loosestrife Family) grows to be about 3-4 ft tall and produces long racemose infloresceces with smallish lavendar (pink,purple) flowers. It is a special value to native bees and is also used by hummingbirds and butterflies.
7.) Eupatorium serotinum (aka Late-flowering Boneset)
A member of the Asteraceae (Sunflower Family) which has rayless sporting only white disc florets. It is a perennial that emerges early in the year, but does not bloom until August - November. While it's flowers are small there are many of them, so that the plant is a real show-stopper in the fall. It is of special value to native bees and its nectar attracts butterflies and many other insect species and it seeds are eaten by many bird species. The plants you dug up were fairly small (maybe due to the drought this year; the species usually grows 4-5+ feet tall.
8.) Agalinis heterophylla (aka Prairie Agalinis, Prairie Geradia, False Foxglove)
This is a member of the Boraginaceae (Borage or Broomrape Family). There are several species found locally, but the most common is Agalinis heterophylla, easily distinguished by its deeply lobed calyx. It is a larval host for the Buckeye butterfly and attracts numerous insect species, including bees and bumblebees.
9.) Ludwigia octovalvis (aka Mexican Primrose Willow)
A member of the Onograceae (Evening Primrose Family), this plant likes its feet wet, so a low spot that collects water is a great place to plant it. It is fast growing and reseeds readily. It is a nectar source for butterflies and other insects and is a larval host for the water primrose hornworm moth (now there's a mouthful!).
10.) Conoclinium coelestinum (aka Blue Mist Flower)
Another member of the Asteraceae whose flowerhead do not have ray florets, but the long stigmas of the disc florets make for a showy flowerhead nonetheless. This species is NOT an annual (as I misinformed you yesterday, sometimes things stick erroneously in your mind), but rather a perennial that dies back to the ground each year and also spreads readily by seed. It attracts many late-season butterflies. It can be a bit 'bossy' as Mary Spolyar put it, but as I have found with vigorous natives a bit of pruning/thinning doesn't hurt them in the least.
I look forward to watching them thrive in Symbiosis.
The rescues
Symbiosis Relationship 9/2022
Skipper and Pokeweed
Endangered bumble bee and Salvia
Coral honeysuckle and a native bee.
Mocking bird using an American Westeria vine as a lookout for insects to eatt.
Passiflora incarnate and carpenter bee.
Turkey tail mushrooms breakdown rotting trees recycling the nutrients.
Jumping spider
Pachodynerus erynnis, known generally as the red-marked pachodynerus or red and black mason wasp and Lantana camera. Lantanas are complex, I am not certain if this is a native to tropical US or an import. I think it is camara since I see beetles and wasps on it.
Clouded skipper on Lantana camara.
Common green June beetle and lantana camara.
Genus Pyrisitia minisa Yellow butterfly
Golden-reined Digger Wasp
Despite its vivid alarm coloration, the Great Golden Digger Wasp is not an aggressive species of wasp. They tend to mind their own business and can be found sipping on flower nectar during the summer, but in the early spring, females prepare to lay eggs.
Females will dig into loose soil and create many deep tunnels. When established, she then covers them to hide their existence. A female will track a small insect and sting them to paralyze them, but not to kill them. Once the prey is immobile, she will clutch it using her antennae and mandible (mouth parts) in order to fly it back to the tunnels. While in flight with her prey, it is not uncommon to see birds like robins or tanagers attempt to steal her meal from her by chasing her until she drops it. No other known species of Digger Wasp is known to be harassed by birds in this way. If the female is successful in returning to her tunnels with her catch, she will place the paralyzed prey aside to quickly inspect a tunnel. If it looks like it's still intact, she will pull the paralyzed insect, head first, down into it. She then lays an egg on the insect, exits the tunnel, and covers it over again. She repeats this process for each tunnel. Unlike other wasps, she does not actively defend her nest. Once hatched, the wasp larvae will feed on the living, yet immobile, insect until they are developed enough to leave the tunnel lair in the summer. Eventually, the parasitism of the paralyzed insect kills it.
Scientists are studying the behavior of this unique species. Great Golden Digger Wasps seem to display a type of internal programming. If their insect prey is moved away from the tunnel while the female inspects it, she will emerge, relocate it, bring it back to the tunnel entrance and start the inspection all over again. Every female exhibited the same repetitive 'start inspection again' behavior when tested in that way.
Females have also shown that they do not keep a tally of how many insects they catch versus how many tunnels they create. If some meals are stolen by birds, they do not realize that they are short on insects compared to tunnels.
With such gorgeous orange and black coloration, mild demeanor, and interesting behaviors, the Great Golden Digger Wasp is one to admire, not destroy. Perhaps a careful observer will discover even more fascinating things about this species.
Pipeline Swallowtail Butterfly - Battus philenor - three generations
Eggs
Juvenile caterpillar
Two mature caterpillars
And by the next day they plant was consumed. I hope the eggs will find their way.
Symbiosis - the ripples
For many artists, satisfaction comes from selling their work. For me, happiness comes when others mimic my work.
A little over a year ago, I met a young couple with a commercial landscape business dept. I invited them to be part of my social sculpture water + air + citizen that took place this past winter. I shared with them the next phase of Carbon By The Yard. This spring I among many volunteers, briefly helped Maggie and Isaac install their inspiring monumental version this spring. Luckily it survived the drought and made the Chronicle.
This Novrmber 5th carbon By The Yardwhich will take place this November 5th. During the community family celebration on November 5th, the relief Carbon By The Yard will be transformed into Carbon Sink. Stay tuned to learn more.
The largest Mammal
The eating and Waste Habits of the largest mammal of the greatest numbers on a land mass have the greatest impact on all other life forms. In Texas there are 26,448,193 humans and 10,900,000 cows. Homo sapiens are the most impactful mammal.
In today's society our eating habits define some of us socially and morally. This makes the discussion of eating meat vs. a vegan lifestyle and saving the planet a loaded topic. One of the most important topics of our day triggers emotions that progress bit discussion and block minds. When I find a movie or a book that looks at the topic in a non-threatening, non emotional context I like to highlight it.
The documentary Goodbye Cows looks at the impact of the two consumption models.
If you want to take a deeper dive into the beautiful and complex relationship between ruminants the planet and humans, I recommend the book Cows Will Save The Planet. By Judith Schwartz
On a lighter note in 2015 I was invited to visit a a friends family farm that raises cattle for consumption and regeneration. My friends incorporate methods that mimic nature and manage the cattle’s movement as predators managed herds. This process builds the health of the planet’s soil and tempers climate. .
My rancher friends Lisa and John threw some healthy treats in the back of their pick-up so that I could get some cow close-up.
The photo that inspired Mooove
I had to draw the expressive cows as they contorted, licked and moooved the pick-up clean.
MOOOVE
4' X 6' c
harcoal, ink pastels,
2015
Below is the drawing. It still makes me laugh.
Rumblings - Osmosia aglaia
Osmosia aglaia
30"X 44”
Watercolor and pastel monotyoe
Osmia aglaia is 1/10,000 bee species. It is a N. American west coast bee, and exceptional in pollinating raspberries and blackberries. I am sad to report they are currently studied for industrialization.
Symbiosis Celebration — Social Sculpture
Symbiosis Celebration
Social Sculpture
Proposal
By
Cindee Travis Klement
Proposed to Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs June 8, 2022
Fall color tourism contributes $1 billion per year to North Carolina. Houston has Fall color migration,
we can cultivate it into tourism and build soil health.
—from Chemical Plants to Native Plants—
Native Wildflowers, Food, Art and Music Festival
“If you dig deep and keep peeling the onion, artists and freelance writers are the leaders in society - the people who start to get new ideas out.” — Allan Savory
In April 2021, I installed the first native plants into Lawndale's sculpture garden. Within two months, Symbiosis exploded with bountiful native blooms. Plants expected by the Ladybird Wildflower website to be one to three feet tall in Symbiosis were instead two to four feet tall. In June, the endangered native bees started returning. In the first twelve months, I have witnessed seventy new species in the space: from bird nest fungus to Red Admirals, Monarchs and skippers, skimmers, one of the bumblebees listed as endangered, Bombus pensylvanicus, treefrogs, toads and birds.
Since Hurricane Harvey, harnessing the power of public opinion to mutualistically build Houston's landscapes into healthy ecosystems has been the focus of my art practice.
In our web meeting, I explained that in my artwork, Symbiosis, sponsored by the City's Initiative Grant at the Lawndale Art Center, I integrate holistic, regenerative biological systems into an urban landscape. I was inspired to create Symbiosis because I have read that our cities are fast-forwarding evolution. If this is true, integrating holistic, regenerative biological systems into urban landscapes will fast-forward ecological recovery. In Symbiosis, I use systems thinking to find a balance between humanity and Houston's wildlife; already, since the installation began in 2021, we are seeing a return of the lower food chain, which is critical for supporting birds and other wildlife that control the insects harmful to humans.
In the systems thinking state of mind, I also realize that profit is the fuel that will change society's landscape practices to embrace the planet's ecological systems in Houston. Applying economics and industrial concepts to the work, I propose that ecotourism is an untapped resource that can strengthen our environmental and economic health. I am writing to you with a proposal to start a wildflower festival, a Symbiosis Celebration, that ultimately encourages and celebrates new mutualistic relationships between Houstonians and the planet. Through fostering symbiotic relationships that regenerate Houston's micro-ecosystems, we will move our reputation from Chemical Plants to Native Plants — we can prosper as the Green Energy City.
STIMULUS
18” X 4.5” X 10”
$1500 in large bills and passed butterflies.
Building Mutual Symbiotic Relationships to Power Ecological Recovery
I envision this festival cultivating relationships among the City of Houston, local property owners, Houston's indigenous landscape and its wildlife, soil and climate, food, restaurant, music, visual and performing arts, museums and professional sports team communities.
The following steps will contribute to building these relationships:
· The business and private property owners will need to redirect their existing landscape budgets to native plants that support our wildlife.
· These new landscape practice guidelines will align with the Mayor's Office of Sustainability and Resilience.
· New native wildflower and grass landscapes will slow rainwater, allowing it to soak in and return to the aquifer to cool the planet while sequestering carbon and storing it in the ground where it is stable, providing food and safe habitats for our indigenous wildlife.
· The approximately six hundred species of birds, four hundred and thirty species of butterflies, eight hundred species of Texas native bees, one thousand species of moths, eighteen species of dragonflies, thirty species of turtles, including two box turtles, and seventy-two species of amphibians native to Texas will expand their populations in our city.
· Houston's creatives in the food, restaurant, music, visual and performing arts, museums and professional sports industries will respond to the new mutualistic/symbiotic relationships among Houston's landowners and our unique plant and wildlife in exciting creative ways and performances during the festival.
· The City of Houston will promote, market, and support the above-described new relationships with its services infrastructure, completing the mutualistic relationship that will support Houston's economy and ecosystems.
Why Houston Can Support Ecotourism
Although Symbiosis taught me the speed with which an urban landscape can transform into a wildlife haven, it was not until I was in Fredericksburg that I realized Houston's ecology is an untapped tourist economy. When you combine Houston's rich soil, high humidity, heat and long growing seasons with the indigenous native plant landscapes supported by Houston's urban irrigated commercial and park landscapes, Houston's native plant wildflower and wildlife tourism can far exceed those of the small towns in Central Texas. Another tremendous asset is Houston's central geographic location in the bird and butterfly migration paths between the North and South American continents and our proximity to the Gulf Coast. Texas has the most butterfly species of any state in the U.S. Houston's inner city is 600 square miles; our "sprawl" is an asset to urban ecotourism.
As additional support that Houston can be an ecotourism powerhouse, I have read that one of New York City's most popular tourist attractions is The High Line's native landscaping. In North Texas, Plano also uses wildflowers and music to attract tourism dollars.
Funding
I see businesses and organizations all over the city which are starting to take advantage of the ecological benefits of native landscapes. Unfortunately, many other property (business and home) owners are unaware of the economic and environmental benefits of native plant landscaping. They spend $50-$100 per hour for weekly maintenance and $4—$12 per square foot for seasonal plantings, while also incurring high water usage and bills. Suppose the City appeals to these businesses and individuals to convert their existing non-ecological landscape budgets to native wildflower and grass landscapes. In that case, the City can promote a native plant/wildflower and wildlife, food, arts and music festival that will symbiotically support native ecological systems. The supporting businesses can profit from the tourism they generate.
When
With Houston projected to double in size by 2050, if we start now, benefits will compound. The timing of the festival should fall during one of the migration periods.
The Texas Can-Do Spirit
Systems thinking to mitigate climate through industry and the arts is a new territory — will Houstonians embrace this new field of thinking? In Texas, that depends on how you ask and present the need. In our recent history, from Katrina to hurricane Harvey, unsolicited Houstonians volunteered to help their neighbors. In 1901, wildcatters discovered Spindletop, drawing people worldwide to build a better life in unknown territory. “Wildcatter” is used to describe one that drills wells in areas not known to be producing fields. The spirit of the wildcatter is deep in our Texas Can-Do Spirit. It is in our nature to embrace a new field of wild.
The Next Step
Recently I went to a free event at the Ion; the people giving the talk are in the business of researching the economics to support new business ideas. They also create "stacks" or PowerPoint presentations to gain financial support for new ideas. Their fee is $6,000. Unfortunately, it is beyond my budget.
Is this sort of analysis provided by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs or another City of Houston office to determine the new cultural or social events that would benefit our city?
The support of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs is critical for social sculpture to transform the city from Chemical Plants to Native plants and earn the title of The Green Energy City.
Climate Justice Museum
I donated two lenticular to the Clinatr Justice museum.
Endangered 1-11-2017
Let it bee
Rumblings - Agapostemen Virescens
This is part of a large body of work I started in 2019, Rumblings.
I pressed this monotype in 2019. I loved parts of it and not others. In 8/2022 with pastels I addressed the issues that we're not working on. I am pleased with the minute beast.
Agapostemen Virescens
watercolor and pastel monotype
30” X 44”
Little is known about this metallic green eye-catching Agapostemon virescens, a bicolored striped-sweat bee in the family Halictidae. It is commonly found in North America and is the official bee of Toronto. Its metallic green head and striped abdomen make it identifiable
The bicolored sweat bee is a solitary ground nesting bee. Each spring the female will dig a tunnel in an open patch of ground. Off the tunnel will be several branches. After building her nest, the female will gather pollen, take it back to her nest, form it into a ball with a little nectar and place it in one of the branches before laying an egg and sealing off that branch so each egg will have its own “room.” -.backyardecology
