the animals are innocent . Digital exhibit available for Museum websites or video showings.

The folkart boats and paintings in this exhibit may be loaned to Museums but would need a benefactor to facilitate shipping and insurance.

the animals are innocent . an exhibit to lament climate change

https://henrysheldonmuseum.org/exhibits/the-animals-are-innocent-ceramics-by-dana-simson/

Intricately detailed hand crafted folk art toy boats full of animals and engaging paintings whimsically pull viewers into a world where water has displaced animal habitat. In tippy canoe and migrants to?, several dozen white rabbits are crowded into a lushly carved canoe on wheels.

abbits in a folkart boat on wheels depict the issue of migration — Rising seas, weather extremes leading to political unrest will compel both animals and people to seek new homes. In using animals to illustrate this issue I hope to open a channel of empathy that racism or territorial disputes might block otherwise.

Another has a fox steering a forest nestled in a boat to safer harbor in parts unknown.

fox floats a forest in his boat — Trees are precious, restoring the correct carbon balance to earth’s atmosphere. Deforestation, as human populations harvest or remove trees to plant crops, diminishes earth’s capacity to rebound from climate change. The disappearance of forested areas threatens animal and plant habitat providing food sources and wild areas.

Story text accompanies each boat, explaining the predicament that will be faced by its passengers. The exhibit begins with the following words:

A long story has been written since the first bits of life began here on earth.

This is the chapter where we face ourselves.

“I created this exhibit in hopes of nudging people to look beyond themselves to not only what we will be facing in the future through climate change, but also the impacts we are responsible for affecting earth’s other living creatures.” -Dana Simson

a boat full of happy rats — Three rats figure out their next move.
One of the most adaptable and intelligent animals, rats have
traveled by ship for centuries and are adept at helping themselves to whatever food they might pilfer while aboard.

There are 10 folk art boats on wheels in the exhibit at present, but more will be added. A boat on fire full of Koalas is in the works to decry the current horrible fires ravaging Australia. As habitats change, challenges rise for creatures living there.

A polar bear looks backward and a penguin searches the future — A polar bear and penguin search for new home to sustain them.
Their boat is filled with broken safety glass as chunks of ice.
While both are endangered, the Polar Bear will have a much harder time.
He looks to the past to what was. The penguin looks forward hopefully.

I hope to create a video of the exhibit so it can travel worldwide to offer it’s message. Some of the paintings in the Animals are innocent are below:

bear and cat in a boat — Animals are set adrift with little to sustain them.

Bare Boat

a deer with birds confronts us — The animals need our voices to be heard.

The Messenger

Love is symmetrical. Love the earth and she will love you in return.

The exhibit “the animals are innocent” can promote change.

I wrote Come Together . a handbook to retool for the future, to compliment this exhibit. The content offers easy changes to promote a healthier planet through daily choices we can make starting now. It is available through Green Writer’s press or on my website:

https://www.danasimson.com/product/come-together-a-climate-change-guide-to-retool-for-the-future/

You can reach me through my website. Thank you for your comments or for sharing this post!

best wishes for a greener 2020,

Dana

I will be posting easy ways to “walk the walk” and my upcoming adventures working for bottom up change for a happy planet.