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Endangered Landscapes
Exhibit Calls Attention to Land Threatened by Development
Endangered Landscapes, an art show sponsored by the Cultural Council for Monterey County's Art in Public Places Program, ran from August 28th to October 26th at the Salinas Courthouse in Salinas, California.
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By Karen Ingalls |
Dedicated to calling attention to the beauty of north Monterey County California, land threatened by development, this show began as a painting project of AFAP charter member Karen Lynn Ingalls, Bill Fenwick, Barbara Edell Poole, and Gloria Shaw, president of Artists' Equity, Central Coast Chapter, and was documented by photographer Kyle Dawn Hills. They have been joined by painters Karen Kvenvold Bailey, Starr Davis, Bob Freimark, Professor Emeritus of San Jose State University, Pilar Marien, John McWilliams, Barbara Norton, Tarah Nutter, and Andy Williams.
The paintings focus primarily on an area at the northern end of Elkhorn Slough, the second largest remaining wetland area in California. While the water of the slough is protected as part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the land that edges it is not. This particular area has been proposed for the development of 174 homes and townhomes and nine holes of golf. The artists' project was sparked by concern for the health of the slough, its environment, the birds who call it their home for all or part of the year (268 species counted in 1999), the other animals who live there, and the beauty of the rural area, in an area of Monterey County generally overlooked and underappreciated.
Since the opening, a significant ordinance affecting growth in the area was supported unanimously by the county supervisors, three of whom attended the opening, and one of whom referred to the exhibit in her comments. The artists hope that their work can continue to make a positive impact on the preservation of Elkhorn Slough, which has been called a national treasure.
Paintings from the exhibit can also be seen at www.endangeredlandscapes.com, and you can see Karen Lynn Ingalls' work at members.aol.com/karlin6.
