Art and Climate Change panel talk: Local Ecology

Our Art and Climate Change public panel series commences this Fall with Mita Giacomini and Jackson Hudecki. This open forum discussion will explore the many ways we can cherish and serve wild creatures and habitats. Local, creative actions may seem a “drop in the bucket” of need for climate-level changes; as Hudecki and Giacomi will explore, however, these actions nudge things in the right direction and possess the special magic of being meaningful — with the power to encourage and inspire others. An intricate web of commitment grows in our community when we celebrate our local birds and their crucial ecological habitats. The impacts may be serendipitous, but they can also be profound.

Mita Giacomini is a Dundas fibre artist whose practice contemplates and responds to our coexistence with birds. She will share her recent work, explaining how she creates her bird portraits, and reflecting on how art can support devotion to the natural world, as well as to its protection and its healing. Her images respond to the mystery and familiarity of birds as individuals, living their lives among ours. She developed her technique of “surface weaving” to create painterly images rich with texture, colour, and intricacy unique to fibre. Surface-woven textiles exhibit complexity at every visible scale – from across the room, to up-close, to under a microscope. Giacomini's surface weavings have been exhibited at art galleries and museums across Canada, and in the United States, Europe, Australia and Asia, and have won awards for excellence and originality.

Jackson Hudecki – Vice President of the Board of the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club – will share complementary stories, photos, and videos highlighting his recent work with staff and volunteers at the HNC as it pertains to some of our protected nature sanctuaries in Southern Ontario. Hudecki hopes to connect people to the places and inspire individual action to mitigate the effects of climate change. As a lifelong Hamiltonian, he has spent countless hours immersed in nature and growing alongside the flora and fauna with which we share this Earth. Hudecki is an avid birder and spends his working hours with the Bruce Trail Conservancy as their Land Securement Specialist.

The Art and Climate Program is made possible through the generous support of incite Foundation for the Arts. 

Host or Publisher Dundas Valley School of Art