ART SERIES / VISUAL ECOLOGY WITH DOUG BAULOS
INDIGO BUNTING CALLIGRAPHY FLOURISHING
$35 / LIMITED SPACE
REGISTRATION CLOSES MARCH 15 AT 12AM
In our second installment of Visual Ecology, we will examine the Indigo Bunting through drawing and watercolor calligraphy flourishing and talk about identification through silhouette. Participants will gain useful knowledge of creating inks and pigments from local plant sources as well as myriad drawing and calligraphy techniques useful for illustration, drawing, and journaling. We will focus on the calligraphic idea of flourishing to harness our energy towards a greater understanding of how the Indigo Bunting can flourish in the Black Belt!
Protecting a single endangered bird can also protect dozens or even hundreds of other plants, animals, and insects. We will discuss endemic plants, insects and artful mapping themes related to the Indigo Bunting, as well as how to infuse and expand your interests and areas of research into works of art around the topic of birds, biodiversity, and your reflections on nature.
“The artists function is to search, to discover value, to value discovery, to discover qualities of value…to bespeak these values, to be self-critical and every stage of discovery.” —Helen Mayer Harrison
Artists can consciously adopt the role of witness, observing the processes of nature and the activities of humankind from a position of relative detachment to provide testimony or evidence of their effects. While some artists seek to reflect and depict that natural world dispassionately, others aim to shine a light on humanities most dangerous behaviors; yet all artists enhance our awareness of nature’s power and fragility, forcing us to reconsider our view of the planet and the way we live with it.
The power of art to communicate urgent concerns in new ways and to different audiences—to reframe or review. The debates can ultimately effect great change. Just showing your perspective can be powerful and authentic to the audience and can make them stop, be nurtured, rethink their assumptions, inquire and heal/mend. As Donna Harraway states: “…lets live our days thinking WITH nature, not through nature. The natural world is a source of inspiration or subject to represent, but also as a realm to influence directly—a sphere of action to transform and improve through creative means.”
INDIGO BUNTING
David Goldberg / Audubon Photography Awards
NEED-TO-KNOW
Wear studio clothes, we will be using permanent inks.
Bring any materials that you currently enjoy using in your 2d creative practice, but we will supply all grounds, inks, and assorted brushes and calligraphy tools.
Bring a sack lunch or eat at one of Greensboro dining options. We'll break for 30 minutes for lunch at 12:30.
ABOUT DOUG BAULOS
Douglas Pierre Baulos (they/them/Queer) received their MFA from the University of New Orleans and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. They regularly teach workshops and lecture on their research in drawing, installation and visual ecology. In 2009, Baulos won the President’s Award For Excellence In Teaching at UAB.
They are currently an Associate Professor of Drawing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and their drawings, installations, and writing have been exhibited/published both nationally and internationally. Their current works are explorations (visual) and meditations (poetry) centering on their ideas of spirituality, love, death, shelter, and hope.
Explore more at dougbaulos.com
EQUITY, DIVERSITY, & INCLUSION
Through more than seventy-five years of conservation work in one of our nation’s most ecologically rich states, Alabama Audubon has seen firsthand how diversity strengthens natural communities. This same principle applies to human communities, which is why our organization is committed to providing equitable and inclusive opportunities for all Alabamians to learn about and enjoy wild birds, their habitats, and the natural world. One of the best ways to support that belief is by valuing and actively seeking to strengthen diversity among our staff, our board, and our membership. To that end, Alabama Audubon welcomes everyone to participate in our work, and strives to make our programs, classes, and events welcome, inclusive, and accessible to all.