Les Murs d’Audubon is part of a general and global context which is that of the sixth mass extinction, marked in particular by the disappearance of birds, a third of which has already disappeared in the past twenty years. Making the dramatic extinction of birds visible is a symbol and a struggle, both political and poetic. Birds, with their songs and colors, are the universal symbol of diversity, the richness of nature and our attachment to life.
The Audubon Mural Project is a public art initiative inspired by the legacy of the great American bird artist John James Audubon and energized by the National Audubon Society’s Survival By Degrees report. Audubon scientists have found that two-thirds of all North American bird species – 389 species – face an increasing risk of extinction due to rising temperatures, and that all species will affected by a threat linked to climate change such as sea level rise or forest fires. .
The project commissions artists to paint murals of each of these climate-endangered birds, starting with sites in the old John James Audubon neighborhood in north Manhattan. The murals beautify the community, create a powerful appeal for tourists and New York residents, and are a new and surprising way to draw attention to a critically important conservation crisis.
COMMUNITIES, PLACES OF NATURE CONSERVATION, SCHOOLS, COMPANIES, FESTIVALS, INDIVIDUALS: JOIN THE WALLS OF AUDUBON!
You can join the movement by contacting us:
- If you are an artist and wish to participate in the project in France write to COAL contact@projetcoal.fr
- And in New York, please send an email to amp@gitlerand.com.
OR BECOME A DONOR: TO SUPPORT THE AUDUBON WALLS, CLICK HERE.
Les Murs d’Audubon is a public art initiative inspired by the legacy of the great American bird artist John James Audubon and energized by the National Audubon Society’s Survival By Degrees report. Audubon scientists have found that two-thirds of all North American bird species – 389 species – now face an increasing risk of extinction due to rising temperatures, and that all species will be affected by threats related to climate change such as sea level rise or forest fires. The project commissions murals from the artists, representing these endangered birds. These murals enhance the living environment of the community and attract tourists and residents to the area. They are a new, innovative and powerful way to draw attention to a crisis related to the conservation of critically important animal species.
STEPS TO PARTICIPATE IN AUDUBON WALLS
Identify a wall and obtain the necessary authorizations to create a fresco there.
Invite an artist to design and execute an outdoor public fresco depicting one or more European birds threatened by climate change.
The bird chosen must be part of the list of threatened birds validated by the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO), the Audubon Society or Birdlife Europe.
The birds should be represented in a positive way and not in a situation of suffering or threat, in a naturalist style echoing the painter Jean-Jacques Audubon. COAL will validate the choice of artist, bird and sketch.
Finance the fresco in full (production costs and artist fees included).
Systematically place the words “murs-audubon.org” and “#audubonmuralproject” on or near the fresco and on all communication tools.
Submit all elements of communication around the project to COAL for validation. In these communication tools, COAL, the Audubon Society and the Auduon Mural Project as the origin of the Audubon Walls will be cited whenever possible.
Produce visual elements (photos, videos, timelaps) on the frescoes completed or in progress and any events carried out around the frescoes and grant broadcasting rights to COAL and the Audubon Society.
Invite the organizers of the Audubon Walls to participate in the different public relations times organized as part of the promotion of the project.
The reproduction rights to the fresco will be transferred exclusively for non-commercial uses in connection with the dissemination of Les Murs d’Audubon to COAL, the Audubon Society and to partners involved in the production of the frescoes. COAL will assist in the completion of rights transfer contracts.
Copyrights :
Swallow-tailed Kite (and Others) by Lunar New Year, New York, 2015. © Mike Fernandez/Audubon
Black-capped Vireo by George Boorujy, New York, 2018. © Mike Fernandez/Audubon
American Redstart by James Alicea, NEw York, 2014. © Mike Fernandez/Audubon
