Boulderspace

Last week I attended a lecture at BMoCA hosted by 4 prominent characters in the upcoming ECO Arts festival (aka: “Weather Report: Art and Climate Change” on the streets). Thanks to a grant from the Andy Warhol foundation, and the curatorial skill of internationally renowned art critic, historian, and writer Lucy R. Lippard, this is the first year that Boulder will host the event. The beauty of the festival is the edifying alchemy that becomes of pairing artists and scientists to address contemporary environmental issues. Mix hard data with visually creative minds and the result is the likes of Mary Miss strategically installing brightly painted discs at a constant datum throughout the city to represent the waterline of the pending 100 year flood. The talk raised some interesting thoughts and arguments regarding the progressive efforts behind ECO Arts and some are worthy of mentioning:

- why boulder? apparently, it yields the highest concentration of environmental and atmospheric scientists and laboratories in the US.

- why boulder?! could this be considered another futile effort in preaching to the choir of active environmentalists and comfortable citizens?

- what better way to undersstand seemingly cerebral and frightening statistics then through the emotional and vibrant medium of art.

Eco Arts is an inventive mix of events, including lectures, films, celestial happenings, installations, and 2 months of wind and solar powered enterprise at BMoCA. It’s the inaugural season, so it may be a little rough around the edges, but if you have any inkling to view atmospheric photographs by an NCAR scientists, or watch an indy film about a remote arctic friendship, plug some of these dates into your blackberry: www.ecoartsonline.org.