Nature -- the Gentlest Mother is,

Nature -- the Gentlest Mother is,

Impatient of no Child --

The feeblest -- or the waywardest --

Her Admonition mild --

Mother Earth

In Forest -- and the Hill --

By Traveller -- be heard --

Restraining Rampant Squirrel --

Or too impetuous Bird --

White and Blistered, a Mangrove Sits Parched in French Guiana, World Wildlife Federation 

How fair Her Conversation --

A Summer Afternoon --

Her Household -- Her Assembly --

And when the Sun go down --

Signs of Climate Change, Mother Earth News

Her Voice among the Aisles

Incite the timid prayer

Of the minutest Cricket --

The most unworthy Flower --

World's Children Report

When all the Children sleep --

She turns as long away

As will suffice to light Her lamps --

Then bending from the Sky --

Nigerian Village

With infinite Affection --

And infiniter Care --

Her Golden finger on Her lip --

Wills Silence -- Everywhere --

~Emily Dickinson

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I wanted to juxtapose Nature by Emily Dickinson with what many people, children, grandchildren now see. In 10, 20, 30 years what will people see? Will they read Dickinson's poem and have to do a search on the Internet to know what a cricket is, know what nature was, to know why Dickinson would call Mother Nature "the Gentlest Mother"? I hope not but I fear so...... fred

Sustainability, the Arts, and Dylan Thomas

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on that sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. 

~ Dylan Thomas

Here is where I normally analyze the poem compared to art but today I am a bit scattered and fortunately for me being scattered works out quite nicely.  I am always prepared with books, images, quotes, medium, inspiration so when I opened the book The Next Eco Warriors given to me by my son Justin this morning my day went off in a new direction. 

Justin Biking and Lorelei "Powered By Tofu" during Earth Day

Since my daughter Lorelei was in South Side Elementary and we made our first Earth Day poster's together, the family including extended family has progressively become involved in the environment and sustainability.  It seems all clean and tidy a trail now in hind-sight from that first Earth Day to the present where my mother Dr. Doreen Sams, PhD at Georgia College started and runs Shades of Green on sustainability and has worked with numerous groups on sustainability and green business marketing and I have designed and implemented Eco-Art Exhibitions on Campus.  

by: Justin Harrison

The arts tie in with me and surprising to me, my son.  He did not surprise me with his photography which is amazing but with his work in the theater and while I do not understand all that he does with the lighting and stage design, I am told he is amazing at it!  The college he attends is the same that my mother is a professor at and they were included in Shades of Green by putting on a play about sustainability. Being that I am the art advocate, the photographer activist wanna be, the firm believer in the arts being a bridge that is able to cross so many barriers in education to inform students and the community about sustainability I try to incorporate arts into as much of the business side of the "fountain" as possible. (There is an actual fountain on campus and though my mother and I speak a different language regarding our fields of study her's being International Marketing/Green Marketing and Mine being Art Education/Art History, we have a common bond academically and are passionate about in caring for our world.) 

This is me! The Wanna Be Activist, Photographer, Art Educator, Mom

Every webpage, every flier, every news cast, everywhere we look around us an artist was involved in the design of how we receive visual information.  That visual information can be positive, negative, or at times null. I want there to be engaging visual conversations about the environment, sustainability, how each person plays a part in this battle, to have another way to access information quickly and responsibly.  

I say responsibly because we are talking about the future of the planet and hence the future of womankind/mankind so messages to various groups should be responsible in that they convey the issues urgency but convey what can be done as well. 

And they stay on each other's backs to this day....

Just like a little curly headed blonde child helped me learn about recycling in the early part of 2000 and my son handed me a book about Eco-Warriors as he stands fast supporting his own causes as a man we all progress through these times, we all can make a difference in the world, and we all must RAGE, RAGE against the dying of the light!