Art and Ecology

Join us today to talk with local artists about the value of looking at art and ecology in conjunction with one another!The changing environment, especially in New Mexico, can be felt quite viscerally by many; and talking about the changing environment and its implications going further is an extremely important conversation we must have. However, discussions about the environment are not always the most accessible due to the complexity of both the issues and solutions. Importantly, art is one of the ways we can have these important conversations, as art is almost like a universal language and can make these complex conversations more accessible. However, there’s even more to gain from using art when discussing our environment. We don’t just understand the environment around us in a purely scientific way, it is our home, a place of memories, a home to all manner of species, and so much more. Art is an incredibly important aspect of the discussions we have about the environment around us. So today we’re going to talk with artists, about their experiences with art and ecology!We talked with artists and art curators involved in Paula Castillo's performance art piece, “Reverse the Curse.” Since 2021 Castillo has invited people living along the river from Taos, New Mexico, to Juarez, Mexico, to participate in a Reverse the Curse community performance at their local river bridge by spitting at the victim. This practice was derived from a curandero healing method to reverse curses. In this piece, Paula Castillo aims to use the audacity of local magic to provide an allegory for a participatory and embodied tithing to the Rio Grande, an entitlement to a body of water who is not allowed to have any share of her own water.