The Entrada Institute has awarded a $2000 grant to a multi-disciplinary trio who will combine art, science, and activism to show how the landscapes and ecosystems of the Colorado Plateau reveal the effects of habitat fragmentation, invasive species, and energy development. Visual artist Kate Aitchison, environmental science and policy student Collin Haffey, and Cari Kimball, program coordinator with the Landscape Conservation Initiative, will develop an interactive science and art exhibit that will open to the public in October in Torrey, Utah.
Arizona residents Aitchison, Haffey, and Kimball believe “that art and science connect communities to the history, beauty, and wonder of the landscape they love,” and that people connected to their landscapes are “more likely to develop more sustainable and resilient social and ecologic communities .The trio worked together previously on a multi-disciplinary project that displayed Aitchison’s art in conjunction with scientific information about the effects of climate change on fire in the forests of the Southwest, and they hope to bring their collaborative perspective and conservation philosophy to the communities of the Colorado Plateau.
The Entrada Institute, a nonprofit organization from Torrey, Utah, awards the Artist-In-Residence grant annually. Entrada supports artists, writers, humanities scholars, and earth and social scientists in their development of new works in order to promote understanding and appreciation of the natural, historical, and cultural heritage of the Colorado Plateau. In addition to the artist-in-residence program, Entrada funds scholarships to Wayne High School students and presents a series of Saturday evening events during the summer and fall in Torrey, Utah.