The Green Artists League (GAL) is an interdisciplinary artists' collective
that creates public art addressing the
global environmental crisis. GAL is a forum of contemporary artists exploring
art and ethics in an era of ecological degradation. GAL engages
the public through interactive art experiences and hopes to raise awareness
and inspire environmentally healthy behaviors and attitudes. Find
out more ->
The ubiquitous plastic bottle in our landfills, watersheds, and elsewhere are the quintessential signifier of frivolous consumer waste and environmental pollution. Frogs are an important indicator species for crisis-level environmental degradation. The present epidemic of malformed, hermaphroditic and sterile frogs is the harbinger of zoological disaster.
GAL will be roaming the streets of Provincetown with an eco-intervention that highlights the consequences of waste and pollution on the New England environment. Our giant frog – mutated by water-born toxins with multiple flailing arms and legs – has awakened form winter hibernation and needs food.
Our tragic hero will engage passers-by and crowds as he moves through the festival begging for sustenance in the form of plastic bottles. Ubiquitous plastic bottles act as the signifier of frivolous consumer waste and environmental pollution, while our indigenous frog, an important indicator species for crisis-level environmental degradation is the harbinger of zoological disaster. For more information on “Appearances” and the Provincetown Green Arts Festival go to .
ON August 22, the Green Artists League participated in Acteon’s Wake, A Bike Ride and Site-Specific Performance Event across Boston, curated by Andrew Barco and Ion Colon. Participating Artists included Maria Molteni, Siri Gossman, Allison Vanouse, Patrick Wallace, Green Artists League, Ben Smart
The Green Artists League performance was a perverse revision of the children’s fairy tale the Frog Prince. The audience became an integral part of the performance as they were entreated to help save the cursed and malformed Frog Prince by kissing him. A “Fairy Godmother” rewarded the audience’s act of compassion by attaching grotesque, plastic prostheses to those who took pity on the wretched Frog Prince. The hope of salvation via the frog’s embrace turned into contamination as a graphic representation of how our poisoned waterways are now affecting water flora and fauna, but human infants as well.
As a postscript to the performance, The Frog Prince removes her frog head and talks about the endocrine inhibitors caused by BPA’s in plastics, hormones in the waters human medications that travel through urine, agricultural run off that are flooding our water wrecking havoc with fish, amphibians, and now humans.
On April 17th, 2009, a homeless polar bear was spotted in downtown Boston during lunch hour. She was accompanied by several members of the Green Artists League who passed out cards asking for help in saving her vanishing habitat.
The polar bear engaged lunching corporate executives in Post Office Square by waving her placard that read “Will Work for Fish” and asking for “Change”. Finding little relief, she pushed her shopping cart throughout the downtown financial and tourist districts. Hoping to adapt to her new compromised circumstance, the polar bear attempted to befriend Bostonians by washing the windshields of cars waiting for a light near Faneuil Hall.
On April 19th, the polar bear had migrated north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire in hopes of finding a suitable habitat. Unfortunatly, no home was found but she did discover some day-old fish behind a sushi restaurant.
“Recently Homeless Polar Bear” on the streets of Boston
Recently homeless Polar Bear trying to make some change.
Polar bear looking for lunch in Portsmouth
Will Work for Fish
As the polar bear’s command of the English language is severely limited, GAL supplied the bear with cards to distribute in the hope of rallying people to change their environmentally destructive habits.
Erin Stack and Stephenie Strogney collaborate annually on an interactive performance called a “Savage Ritual.”
“Savage Rituals”, Earth Day, 2008, Newburyport, MA
This roaming interventionist performance, addressed Americans’ ambivalent, veiled as romanticized, relationship to Nature. Our “friendly” polar bear offered gifts of cards to people on the street and in commercial establishments. These cards were inscribed with one of twenty-six “Savage Rituals”. These rituals, when performed, would press for a more intimate relationship with Nature and were often humorous and always challenging.
Boston
the performance as they were entreated to help save the cursed and malformed Frog Prince by kissing him. A “Fairy Godmother” rewarded the audience’s act of compassion by attaching grotesque, plastic prostheses to those who took pity on the wretched Frog Prince. The hope of salvation via the frog’s embrace turned into contamination as a graphic representation of how our poisoned waterways are now affecting water flora and fauna, but human infants as well.
