THE ARTS

Project Overview
This September, artists from the Art Is Land Network (AILN) will be installing a number of temporary land art works on Granville Island, working simultaneously under the theme of: the island as macrocosm of the world. AILN recognizes the First Nation Peoples who first occupied this fertile fishing ground, more recent inhabitants engaged in boat building and other industries crucial to the Island today, and those who come to explore the island and its wealth of recreational and cultural activities. Mindful of site, local history and nature, AILN employs natural or repurposed materials in pursuit of artwork responsive to its environment

The Artists

Nicole Dextras: A graduate of the Emily Carr University of Art in Vancouver, BC Canada, where she has been a sessional teacher for the past 8 years Dextras has recently returned from her participation in Land Art Mongolia, where 20 international artists created works in the Gobi Desert. In 2010 she exhibited photographs and created outdoor ephemeral installations for her Signs of Change, exhibit at the Grunt Gallery in Vancouver, BC. During 2010 Olympics, Dextras presented The False Creek Bride, a storytelling event based on sustainable practices for the Winterruption Festival, Granville Island, Vancouver, BC. In 2009 she exhibited at the Richard Levy Gallery in Albuquerque New Mexico as part of the city-wide Land Art Festival, at the Wall Space Gallery in Seattle and at the Port Angeles WA, Outdoor Art Park. In 2008, she was artist in residence at the VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver and at the I-Park Artist Enclave in Connecticut. She has been awarded both Canada Council and BC Arts Council grants and her work has been published in numerous publications such as ELLE Canada magazine and My Green City, published by Gestalten, Berlin. Upcoming exhibitions in 2011 include View, a touring photo exhibit curated by acclaimed photographer Joyce Tenneson at Gallery 27, Santa Barbara, CA and Palm Beach Photographic Centre, Palm Beach, FL. Nicole's photographs will also be featured during Alternative Fashion Week in Toronto, in April and her latest Weedrobes garment will be presented during the Vancouver International Children's Festival in June. Dextras is a founding member of the Art Is Land Network, which will be hosting a week long symposium and exhibition on Granville Island, Vancouver in the Fall. In addition Dextras will be creating an new outdoor installation for Créations-Sur-Le-Champs in Saint-hilaire Québec in October.

Haruko Okano: Since the mid 1990s I have changed the nature of my artistic practice and lifestyle to bring them into closer alignment with my concerns for the natural environment and our impact on the future of this planet. Although my art education was totally Eurocentric, I have broken away from traditional genres and begun to integrate methods and means that include elements from my Japanese ancestry, and holistic traditions common to many cultures in the world of hunters and gatherers. I am a process based artist, which extends my research and production time line considerably. I tend to use recycled materials, include more organic matter and to map my territory in search of the natural raw detritus I sometimes use in my installations. Collaboration is an earmark of my practice, whether that be in community developed art, working in tandem with other artists or in partnership with animals in their natural habitat.

Workshops:
Artists Nicole Dextras and Haruko Okano will be teaching Free workshops at the False Creek Community Center, Granville Island, Vancouver, BC in conjunction with the projects they are creating for the “art (IS)LAND exhibition”