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the view, University of Vermont
November 7, 2005
by Jon Reidel
Cameron Davis ’76 has a lifelong passion for art and the
environment.
The lecturer of art has long been successful at blending these loves in
courses such as “Painting and Issues of Ecological Perception” and
“Drawing in the Natural World.” More recently, she’s combined the two
in
a participatory art project with international scope and resonance.
November 7-9, Davis, along with local artist Sally Linder, will
speak
at the “Earth Charter + 5” in Amsterdam, a multinational conference on
the implementation of sustainable development. Representatives from
dozens of countries, including Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, will
meet to discuss the impact of the Earth Charter, a United
Nations-sponsored declaration of fundamental principles for building a
just, sustainable and peaceful global society.
Davis and Linder were invited to present their Temenos Project, a
multi-faceted art effort that includes The Ark of Hope, a 49- by 32-
inch
wooden chest designed by Linder to house a copy of the Earth Charter
she
handwrote on a piece of papyrus harvested at UVM Research Professor
John
Todd’s Living Systems, Inc., in South Burlington. Also inside the ark
are thousands of Temenos Books, 8- by 2-inch books made by artists and
school children in Vermont, six other states and dozens of other
countries, filled with pages of visual prayers and affirmations based
on
the Earth Charter’s 16 principles.
Since their unveiling at Shelburne Farms in September of 2001
at “For
Love of Earth, A Celebration of the Earth Charter,” a 2,000-person
Temenos event organized by Davis, Linder, students and faculty, the ark
and Temenos books have traveled around the world. They were exhibited
at
a U.N. summit; the International Women’s Conference in India; and the
World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa.
When the exhibit is not traveling it is on exhibit at the Interfaith
Center of New York.
“This is a grassroots project that organically grew out of the
inspiration of the charter itself,” says Davis. “It started with us
asking ourselves what we could do as artists about the state of the
world. The Earth Charter is very abstract, kind of like reading the
Constitution. We wanted to embody it and bring it to life. Art is a
great tool for stirring the soul and moving people into action.”
Rippling Circles
The creation of the Temenos Project is a story of art, love and
perseverance. Its seeds were sown in 1999 when Davis, Linder and a
small
group of fellow artists gathered together to find ways to promote
global
healing through art, which they believe creates changes in awareness,
leading to meaningful action. Establishing a Temenos, a magical sacred
circle where special rules apply and extraordinary events occur, each
artist made a Temenos Book.
Moved by the experience, they started guiding individuals and groups
in the creation of the books and “earth masks,” facial masks of animals
and other ecological representations made by small children so they
could participate in the process.
“The response was incredible,” says Linder, who worked with Davis to
get 22 Vermont cities and towns to officially endorse the Earth
Charter.
This early success led to the idea for the For Love of Earth
Celebration
at Shelburne Farms, which featured keynote speaker Jane Goodall, global
peace walker Satish Kumar, musician Paul Winter, and Earth Charter
Commission member Steven C. Rockefeller, and the creation of the Ark of
Hope, which Linder says came to her “in a vision.”
Linder sought out Vermont cabinetmaker Kevin Jenness, who built the
ark from a single plank of sycamore maple from a sustainable forest in
Germany. The five painted panels that form the sides and top of the
ark,
which weighs 800 pounds with the Temenos books inside, represent the
flora and fauna of the world. Each panel visualizes a season, a
direction, an element, and a universal symbol. Symbols of faith from
religions and indigenous societies were painted in honor of children
and
young animals. The 96-inch carrying poles are meant to represent
unicorn
horns which render evil ineffective. Beth Haggart, university lecturer
and local artist, lined the ark with fabric.
Moved to action by the attacks of Sept. 11, which occurred two days
after the Shelburne Farms event, Linder and a few friends began walking
the ark to New York City. Hundreds of supporters joined the two-month
walk along the way and added their own prayers and images for global
healing to the Temenos books. The journey ended with the ark and
Temenos
books being exhibited at the United Nations in January and February of
2002.
Davis credits much of the success of the project to the efforts of
students in her Earth Charter senior seminar in the Environmental
Program, which explores the use of art as an activist tool, and
“Painting and Issues of Ecological Perception” course. Students helped
promote the Shelburne Farms event with slide shows at Radio Bean and
other local haunts, and helped facilitate the Temenos Books project in
schools and at conferences. Students in Davis’ “Painting, Ecological
Perception and Theory” course, including Lisa Shaw, a continuing
education student who is presenting with Davis in Amsterdam,
volunteered
at the event along with a number of environmental program alums.
“This is a grassroots project started in Vermont that has inspired
people to read the Earth Charter and add art to something that travels
around the world,” Davis says. “I think it’s been an incredibly moving
experience for everyone involved.”
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Gifting Temenos Books to Ark of Hope
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