Walk the talk, talk, talk...

Judith writes:

On this glorious day, we were out on assignment, Clem who needed to do community service for school was joined by her “Bestie” Dahlia. Unsure if we would be able to accomplish a clean-up task, if there would even be any plastic to pick up, off to Kehoe Beach we went.

The two sat in the back, on the drive out, so I could only hear wisps of words. I struggled to hear the details of their non-stop conversation —  a constant chatter, lively and free-ranging about finger nail polish, skin care, Kate Spade handbags, what to wear first day of school (Wednesday) world famous fashion model Gigi Hadid and on a more serious note about their summer required reading list that included stories about challenging topics — homelessness and hardship, divorce and abuse.

The on-the-trail banter continued all the way out to the beach. Along the way, together, we talked about Junipero Serra’s decimation of the native people. Clem remembered our visits to the Miwok village Kule Loklo and what fun we had at the Big Time Festival. And, we talked about the re-vision of history from the story I was told about Columbus “discovering” America to the history they are learning about the complex cultures that were here when he arrived.

Even with a clean beach, clean sand, pristine sand as far as the eye can see, for the discerning eye of “professionals” and student trainees, it’s never a problem to find plastic albeit micro or smaller.

Yards ahead of me, I could hear the sounds of their yackety-yack trail off into the distance as they headed for the far end of the beach.

They returned triumphant. Along with handfuls of minuscule pieces of plastic, they found the worst of the worst — two helium-filled mylar balloons — balloons are one of the most detrimental single-use plastics that impact marine life.

Oh such a glorious day, indeed. Mission Accomplished!!! Not only did we remove some plastic from the beach, we walked the talk and talked the walk. I'll say...

 👣   👣.  👣.  👣   👣.  👣

My sister, Janis Jones, in conjunction with the Surfrider Foundation San Diego, has been instrumental in efforts to get lighter-than air balloons banned in Encinitas. Their work continues in other coast-side towns: 

Solana Beach followed Encinitas’s lead and banned the sale, use, and distribution of helium-filled balloons. 
Carlsbad banned the intentional release of balloons.
Laguna Beach is considering a ban as well. 
Surfrider has a new balloon policy toolkit with resources for people interested in advocating for bans. 

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The Great Wave

 

We are so pleased with how the hanging turned out - beyond our wildest expectations - the way the net expresses all the power and "terrible beauty" of ghost fishing with the shadows casting, animating the space with an underwater feeling.

Artist Statement

As a powerful presence Remnant, reminds us of the problem of commercial overfishing, by-catch and whale entanglement. Buffeted by wind and surf, much of its beauty is the result of natural forces, plus there is mystique of its odyssey from ocean to beach. Intrigued with what unbearable beauty we might find in this mess of netting; inspired by jazz and the rhythm of poetry, we present this undulating form as a site for contemplation.

When one thinks about the journey this massive net has been on — lost from a fishing trawler in the Pacific Ocean, washed ashore on to Kehoe Beach then to the gallery here at Santa Clara University to see this "mess" presented in a formal setting gives one pause.

When you think of fishing you might harken back to a pole, a hook, with a worm dropped in a stream. Fond memories of catching and eating or catching and releasing. When you think of commercial fishing you probably think of giant nets swooping up a school of fish. You’re not wrong! Over 80% of fish are caught via nets. Industrial fishing nets with lengths up to 7 miles, catch and kill unintended species— bycatch fish, sea birds, turtles, and whales—en masse. In addition to removing large numbers of fish, many large-scale fishing practices also destroy aquatic habitat by dredging or seafloor trawling that scoops up everything that will be used along with much that will be discarded. This is extraction on a monumental scale. Fishing gear can be even more destructive when it becomes lost or forgotten in the water because it continues to “ghost fish” ensnaring animals that aren't being harvested for use. 

These snarls AKA “Ghost Nets” are pernicious entanglements of lost commercial fishing rope, monofilament,  Birds, fish, and marine mammals get caught in this silent floating debris —trapped in what is called “ghost fishing.”

Since 1999 Richard Lang and Judith Selby Lang, have been collecting plastic from just 1,000 years of Kehoe Beach and along the way they have gathered huge quantities of ropes and netting. Most people don’t know about ghost nets because they have never seen one because most are lost at sea. But they do wash ashore and over the years they have amassed quite a pile of “inventory” in their barn and barn yard.

Many thanks to our colleague and friend, beachcomber, Richard James for retrieving this trawl net from the beach.

We are thrilled to be exhibiting our work with such an illustrious group of artists including: Brandon Anderton, Tess Felix, Peter Hassen, Liz Hickok, Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle, Hughen/Starkweather, Luc Janssens, Josh Keyes, Laura Arminda Kingsley, Richard Lang, Judith Selby Lang, Courtney Mattison, Allison Watkins and Angela Willetts

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Summer Summary

Judith writes: 

While putting together this summer summary, I was reminded of an old French maxim, "reculer pour mieux sauter" that translates as: “Step back, the better to leap forward.” This 'leitmotif' describes a fundamental aspect of the creative process that includes time stepping back, reviewing the past, looking at the old in new ways, until a surprising discovery (the leap forward) is made (the great 'AHA' moment).

Richard and I have been blessed with long and productive creative careers and Gallery Route One has been such an important part of our development. From our first show of One Year, One Beach in 2001 and throughout the years, we are grateful for the many wonderful opportunities to show and share our work as a result of our special association with Mary Mountcastle Eubank and Zea Morvitz (Project Space Program) and Toni Littlejohn (Artists in the Schools). 

Here is a resume/ list of all of the exhibitions, experiences and ways that GRO has had an influence on me and our art life. In addition to the shows, over the years we participated in The Box Show and The Wild Book Show, fund raisers for the Gallery. Because this was the pre-cellphone camera era, we did not then take as many pictures as we do today. The hyperlinks will take you to posts with more info and more photos. This list still a work in progress. As I dig through old files and find images and information, I will fill in the gaps. For now:

2000   Nature Books  Tobacco Quipu (JSL)

                        Nature Books on the Marin Report, CH 31

2001 ON THE EDGE: intersections and interactions with Gallery Route One and

                        the Point Reyes National Seashore, an interdisciplinary project that had 

                   multi-venue exhibition sites, and a panel discussion. 

                    ON THE EDGE on the Marin Report, CH 31 

One Year One Beach: Disposable Truths, an exhibition showcasing what two people (Richard and Judith Lang) collected from Kehoe Beach in one year. This story became our life story as we continue today to collect plastic from that one beach.   

             

 

Jetsam and Wet Ink, an Artists in the Schools (AIS) project in collaboration with the California Poets in the Schools. With Toni Littlejohn, Judith coordinated a show of poetry and artwork with 47 fourth and fifth graders from West Marin School at the Ken Patrick Visitor Center at Drakes Beach. The student artwork was created during a field trip to Drake’s Beach where the students molded plastic beach litter into colorful bas-reliefs. Robin Jacobson guided the poetry that was inscribed onto pieces of white scraps of plastic and onto white plastic foam containers. Claire Peaslee served as project naturalist.

2000 The Box Show   Gallery Route One, Point Reyes, CA

2001 The Box Show   Gallery Route One, Point Reyes, CA

2002           Turning the Tables: food, farms and sustainability with Gallery Route One, 

                   Artists in the Schools and Marin Organics 

                       Turning the Tables on the Marin Report, CH 31  Marin Report, CH 31

More about worms and The Worms Have Come to Dinner an interdisciplinary Artists In the Schools (AIS) art project sponsored by Gallery Route One for West Marin School that culminated in an exhibit at Toby’s Feed Barn, September 2-29, 2002.

Wall Street Worms at Toby’s Feed Barn (JSL)

Second Helpings at Cafe Reyes (RDL & JSL)

Concurrent exhibition: ECO-02, art and the environment  Falkirk Cultural Center, San Rafael

2002 The Box Show  RDL ???

JSL  Masking Tape Box

2003 Wild Book Show       JSL A Can of Worms

        The Box Show JSL Omphalos (beach plastic box)

2004 Wild Book Show JSL Apertures

                RDL Bear Valley Trail

         The Box Show JSL Lookin Over, Looking In

                RDL Cement Suitcase

2005                 California Current: a confluence of art and the ocean from British Columbia to

                        Baja with Gallery Route One, Falkirk Cultural Center, and The Bay Model                                               California Current on the Marin Report, CH 31

This interdisciplinary project explored the bounds and boundlessness of the seas; the living presence of the ocean from a metaphorical as well as a management perspective. In exhibitions and events presented at Falkirk Cultural Center and Gallery Route One, artists were invited to respond to such issues as the maintenance of the healthy seas, oil drilling, international fishing regulations, chemical pollution, marine debris, coastal development, global climate change, AND celebrate the unfathomable depths of the ocean, the restorative quality of sea breezes and the pleasures of a walk on the beach. 

With Toni Littlejohn Judith developed Oceans Away, a multidisciplinary program that brought poets, naturalists and artists into the West Marin School classrooms in a project that culminated in a mixed media installation at Toby’s Feed Barn in Point Reyes Station that included poems, video, and sea worthy representations.

For younger students there was a field trip to Duxbury Reef in Bolinas with naturalists and educators to explore the tide pools and the older students visited the Point Reyes Lighthouse for a direct observation of maritime history. 

In a simulation of an underwater environment the students created their interpretations of the ocean, with plants and animals of the Northern California region and replicated a shipwreck dating back to 1579 when Sir Francis Drake sailed the coastline. Wave ocean poems, a ship log and a fish/kelp forest.

Home Again, Home Again in the Annex

 2005 Wild Book Show  JSL JuNK STuMP

                                                    RDL Bear Vally Trail - Winter

2006                Wild Book Show  the ocean says…

2008                Wild Book Show collaboration with Jackie Kirk and Barbara Swift Brauer

        The Box Show

2009 Wild Book Show  Food and Farming  3/20- 3/23 with Geo of Hope 

2013 The True Cost of Plastic 

Through the years we have amassed quite a collection of toy soldiers. Wracked by a long life at sea, some of the faces are gnarled, chewed on, abraded by the sand. When we looked into the tiny faces we were amazed by their expressions. Each soldier is a poignant reminder of the ravages of war and the extremes to which nations will go to preserve dominion over the petrochemical world. In The True Cost of Plastic we presented large-scale photographs of toy soldiers and a re-enactment of a battle scene. March 22- April 28

       Field trip  7th/8th graders with Wendy McLaughlin, April 28

2016             Commons Dilemma 

The Ostrich Feather Wedding Dress Project was organized by Lorna Stevens and Joanne Easton in conjunction with their exhibit Commons Dilemma. Research into the history of the ostrich and use of their feathers as adornment led them to acquire on E-Bay an ostrich feather wedding dress. They were fascinated by this gown and offered it as a launch point for a group project. Each artist borrowed the dress for one week and created an art work in response. November 4 - December 11.

What goes round…

2019 UNTAMED-Jewelry Outside the Box

                        curated by Judy O'Shea

                         totem/foam bracelet, window web  

                       

                         One Bead at a Time

2019 Eco Echo: Unnatural Selection 

Eco Echo: Unnatural Selection presented a group of artists who respond to aspects of our ecological environment in unexpected and diverse ways. Each artist is grappling with some ecological concern, creating echos which are celebratory, poignant, beautiful, complex, and provide opportunity for audience examination and reflection.

Eco Echo artists: Anne Beck, Barbara Boissevain, Ginger Burrell, Judith Selby Lang, Richard Lang, Kent Manske, Michelle Wilson, Nanette Wylde 

2021 Art on the Edge: W.E.A.D. Extraction Group Show

                       ART ON THE EDGE: From Extraction to Restoration and Regeneration

2021 Artists Exchange  ZOOM discussion 8/18/21 with Shelley Rugg, Pamela         Blotner, Jane Ingram Allen. Artists’ Exchange is a monthly event for                                             artists and art lovers; a resource for artists to learn from other artists and hear                             about opportunities in the arts.                

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okhKjntGPW4

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World Ocean Day

Pleased to be the Oakland Museum's tweet of the day for World Ocean Day.  

The museum took advantage of the COVID shut-down. Tony Bravo from the SF Chronicle writes: 

Among the new features at the museum is its recently renovated sculpture garden. The project, led by famed landscape architect Walter Hood of Hood Design Studio and architect Mark Cavagnero of Mark Cavagnero Associates, has been more than a year in the making and seeks to both open up views to Lake Merritt as well as provide a more flexible space for events and sculpture exhibition.

Time for us to take a trip across the Bay and check in with our The Great Conveyor.

Closer to home, along with posting the 25 MPH sign, our roadside "safety dog" is alerting folks to perils of plastic in the ocean. 

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