The A.W.E. Society and Planet Detroit’s Detroiters Do Science Project are pleased to announce an open call for photos, artwork, writing, or surveys of sidewalk botany! The ecosystems nearby have always known how to make do, even in difficult circumstances — finding ways of thriving in a world of concrete and mowed lawns. Rebellious weeds persist and … Continue reading CALL FOR ART: LIFE IN THE CRACKS
Sacrificial Landscape Painting
As I drove through Northern Michigan, I passed an area with a lot of recent deforestation and a vast checkerboard of oil derricks, and then, of course a confederate flag hung proudly along-side its sister flag- the flag of the republic of Amerika. Land of the free and the brave? https://youtu.be/kOkKvCfPn_4 Painting in a forest … Continue reading Sacrificial Landscape Painting
The Infinite Detail of this Place and Time
https://youtu.be/N0bCBrp_YYo A live performance by Virago & The A.W.E. Society at the Duderstadt video studio in Ann Arbor Michigan, on January 31st 2020. Full performance here.
The truth of my being here
I’m lying in the overgrown lawn, neglected by the mover for over a year. It's gone to seed and follows the gestures of the wind. In this thick grass, in this thick moment new life is establishing itself, growing leaves and roots in the cool shaded understory, under what first meets the eye. I realize … Continue reading The truth of my being here
The Covid-19 Radicalization Process
Coloring sheet (8.5" x 11", black and white)Download Pandemic Radicalization Poster (11" x 14", color)Download
Transforming the Green Ooze into a Movement for Tri-county Environmental Justice Solidarity
The Ooze Cruise In January 2020 My friend Lauren Schandevel and I hosted the "Ooze Cruise", a walk around Electroplating Services in Madison Heights. This site has become famous in Michigan because of the "green ooze", a toxic mixture of Hexavalent Chromium, trichloroethylene (TCE) and cyanide which was dumped into earthen pits in the basement of … Continue reading Transforming the Green Ooze into a Movement for Tri-county Environmental Justice Solidarity
Grappling with Invasive Species Management on a Colonized Land: Part I
For a few years now, I have invested time and energy into cultivating native plants and removing invasive, non-native ones – as a paid worker, an unpaid volunteer and a recreational gardener. My reason for this work is that native plants are beneficial to the local landscape but threatened by invasive plants, a notion well-supported by scientific research and further endorsed by many governmental initiatives. While I sense that the American public is becoming increasingly aware of the economic and ecological threats that some high-profile species pose, I’ve encountered various reactions to how such species are removed, especially when pesticides are involved. I want to better understand the complexities of invasion ecology so that I can advocate for smart natural resource management. But I must admit, I harbor a certain uneasiness about the dichotomy of “native vs. non-native” that is so prevalent in invasive species discourse, and believe some reflection…
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Ecological Lullaby of the Rouge
Saturday, June 15th 8 pm-10:30 pm | Rouge Park (Lahser Marsh area... look for signs, little orange cones, and lights) Join us at sunset in Detroit's Rouge Park to discover the sights, sounds and living beings of the riparian zone and floodplain. A microscopic home movie will be projected after dark and Julia Sosin will … Continue reading Ecological Lullaby of the Rouge
Explorations in a mirrored horizon: a local clay workshop
Saturday, June 9th 3-5pm Join us on Saturday, June 9 for a walk into a precarious wetland on the brink of development for an intimate engagement with soil and clay. This two-part workshop will include an examination of soil profiles for evidence of hydric characteristics (a prerequisite for the state’s preservation of wetland sites). The … Continue reading Explorations in a mirrored horizon: a local clay workshop
