Animal Agriculture Impacts the Environment

Show Title: Animal Agriculture Impacts The Environment

Animal agriculture produces 65% of the world's nitrous oxide emissions which has a global warming impact 296 times greater than carbon dioxide. Raising livestock for human consumption generates nearly 15% of total global greenhouse gas emissions, which is greater than all the transportation emissions combined.30% of the word’s total ice-free land surface is used to solely to support animals grown for meat, eggs or dairy products (source). In Australia more than 5% of the natural vegetation has been turned to grazing, primarily for cattle (source). In Brazil, 70% of all original rain-forest has been destroyed for grazing (source).

Australian Bureau of Statistics: “Grazing accounts for just over half of all land use. Environmental issues associated with sheep and cattle grazing include habitat loss, surface soil loss, salinity, and soil and water quality issues.”

Center for Biological Diversity (USA): “Cattle destroy native vegetation, damage soils and stream banks, and contaminate waterways with fecal waste. After decades of livestock grazing, once-lush streams and riparian forests have been reduced to flat, dry wastelands; once-rich topsoil has been turned to dust, causing soil erosion, stream sedimentation and wholesale elimination of some aquatic habitats” (source)

The sixth mass extinction has been attributed primarily to meat consumption. In the paper "Biodiversity conservation: The key is reducing meat consumption", Machonvina et al. state: "The projected land base required by 2050 to support livestock production in several mega-diverse countries exceeds 30–50% of their current agricultural areas. Livestock production is also a leading cause of climate change, soil loss, water and nutrient pollution, and decreases of apex predators and wild herbivores, compounding pressures on ecosystems and biodiversity.

Responding to the question-  How we can can use art to protest, process, and object to How Animal Agriculture Impacts the Environment ?—this project including writing, art exhibit, documentary, and book. It will focus on the art making and writing of works that engage this difficult topic. We will consider the function of art & writing to document, bear witness, and to show how the breeding of animals, their rearing, killing, packaging, transportation; growing animals to kill and eat instead of growing plants to eat has impacted the earth/environment, & climate change.  Along with offering written works and art, that take up the subject, we will create a documentary, create a book from the writings and art, and post our outcome online to show our discussion of the ethics of representation,  and what it means to write about this violence and trauma, and neglect & damage of the earth. We will focus on the craft of writing and art, and intertextuality which will engage viewers in responding both to the works of art in the exhibition and the writings we will combine in the book and film with spoken word.

This is a 2 year project and we are accepting art works, size limited to 30 inches (paintings, ceramics, fiber, sculpture, wall art), written words (poems, essays, spoken word- all to be written and spoken & video taped)

Each artist will speak on tape about their art, or will read their words. We will use the recordings online. We will also use images of the art online. Art from the show and writings from the project will be used online.

        Our ultimate goal is to create a book on this topic of writings and artworks.                                                            

Send images of art or samples of writing about topic now: email to contact@urbanartretreat.com

Actual art, framed and display ready is due to arrive between August 24-30, 2023.

Final words for the event are due to arrive via email between August 24-30, 2023 (writings)

how to prepare art to be sent: If the art is to be hung on the wall it must have a wire on the back across from side to side about ¼ down from the top. We prefer this method as opposed to others. Make sure to wrap all art carefully and protect it from harm. Please send for guidelines on how to enter the art show.

how to prepare words to be sent: Make sure you have your work proofread. Make a videotape of you reading your work. Writings will be reproduced and accumulated in a booklet for people to read in the art gallery.

Dates: Approved artists/writers must make sure their writings and artworks arrive to gallery between June 16-23, 2023.   July 8 is the opening reception. August 26, 2023 is last day of show. Artists are responsible for the costs involved in getting their art to and from the gallery.

Any art works that remain 5 days after the show closes will begin to accrue daily storage fees of $10.00 per day.

sincerely, Dianna C. Long

contact@urbanartretreat.com