Earth Guardians and the artivism of "Blued Trees" a guest post by Aidan Ferris, Earth Guardian
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| From left to right: Christian Lockwood, the author- Aidan Ferris, and Samantha Bostic: three Earth Guardians participating in the Blued Trees overture launch June 21, 2015 Photo by Susan Rutman |
All across the globe, youth are rising to the
challenge of protecting our earth so that we may pass down a healthy and
sustainable world to future generations.
On June 21st 2015, I had the opportunity of doing just that by participating in a creative and tactical way to halt the construction of the AIM pipeline expansion. As representatives of a youth-driven organization called Earth Guardians, a couple friends and myself went to lend a hand with the Blued Trees Project. From the very beginning I was excited and intrigued by the idea of using art as a way of not only shining light on important issues but also as a non-violent direct action that could truly make a difference. This project felt unique. It incorporated music, visual arts and legal components that all tied together to create a really powerful action.
On June 21st 2015, I had the opportunity of doing just that by participating in a creative and tactical way to halt the construction of the AIM pipeline expansion. As representatives of a youth-driven organization called Earth Guardians, a couple friends and myself went to lend a hand with the Blued Trees Project. From the very beginning I was excited and intrigued by the idea of using art as a way of not only shining light on important issues but also as a non-violent direct action that could truly make a difference. This project felt unique. It incorporated music, visual arts and legal components that all tied together to create a really powerful action.
Today,
as we continue to strive towards a better world, creativity and imagination are
some of our best allies. This is because we cannot fix the problems we face by
using the same tools that created them. We must look outside the tool box. Blued
Trees is an amazing way to show youth that it's okay to be tactical and
artistic.
“Artivism”
is art plus activism; it harnesses innovative strategic organization and
combines it with the creativity and imagination needed to make art of any kind.
The Blued Trees Project falls perfectly under that label and it is
projects like this one that appeal to young people who are looking to make a
difference. This type of work shows youth that harnessing passion is not only
acceptable, but encouraged.
Earth Guardians are showing the world that young people are making positive changes by being who they are and doing what they love, whether it be art, music, poetry, business, dance, writing, or any other form of expression. I believe that in the future we will see many more projects arise similar in nature to this one.
Earth Guardians are showing the world that young people are making positive changes by being who they are and doing what they love, whether it be art, music, poetry, business, dance, writing, or any other form of expression. I believe that in the future we will see many more projects arise similar in nature to this one.