The Eden Grove Artist in Residence program took place from March to June of 2021 on unceded Pacheedaht territory near Port Renfrew, BC. The rustic studio tent was located within 15 minutes walking distance from Eden Grove, a small area of ancient forest right next to the clearcut where the famous tree Big Lonely Doug stands. The well known Avatar Grove was a 10 minute drive away. Eden Grove is currently unprotected. There is no cut block application in place yet, however, road building has been approved further down the road towards Edinburgh Mountain, which is home to one of the largest sections of unprotected old growth forest on Southern Vancouver island.
All of the artists included in the project have maintained an art practice that includes a focus on ecology and several also engage in community based social art practices. In August of 2021 a selection of the artwork produced during the residency was displayed at Fortune Gallery in Victoria. The exhibition was called Last Stand: Ancient Forests, Collective Action. The second exhibition, Still Standing: Ancient Forests Futures, took place at Legacy Gallery from June 25 to September 17th at Legacy Gallery in Victoria. This exhibition and focused more broadly on the need to change our relationship to ancient forests at large, from colonial paradigms of commodification and resource extraction to one of respecting the forest as our life support system.