The Eden Grove Artist in Residence program (March to June 2021) offered artists the opportunity to be immersed in ancient temperate rainforest ecosystems while witnessing the frontlines of the forest protection movement and building relationships with the Pacheedaht Nation and local community. The intersections of art, ecology, activism and decolonization merged in that remarkable location and moment in history, providing rich terrain for art making. A diverse group of indigenous and non-indigenous artists were invited to participate and many continue to create work in relation to Eden Grove.
After the blockades ended, the project has continued to expand in scope, as more artists participate and broaden the conversation around ancient forests, Indigenous sovereignty and climate change. The exhibitions that have followed provide a space for resistance, learning, contemplation and the processing of emotions from anger and grief to wonder and hope. We look forward to touring the exhibition in order to foster further conversation and to share the artists powerful work and messages.