ChevronToxico Stephanie Wirt, 2012
(Acrylic, wax, wire, sticks on wood panel)
Patty Bode wrote in
The circulatory system of oil contamination, visual culture, and
Amazon indigenous life. In E. M. Delacruz, A. Arnold, M. Parsons, and A. Kuo,
(Eds.), Globalization, art, and education (pp. 269-277). Reston,
VA: National Art Education Association.
about her art educational experience with the indigenous Secoyan people of the Amazon. While she discussed how she was inspired by her students to take action, I was inspired by the plite of the Amazonian people. Essentially - "In
an Ecuadorian court Chevron was found guilty of environmental harm due to their
dumping of billions of gallons of toxic waste into the Amazon rainforest and
water supply creating lethal consequences for the indigenous people and their
environment. While this is the first
time ever Indigenous people have won a court case over an international
company, Chevron contends that the ruling is illegitimate and vow not to pay
their penalty." (Wirt, 2012)Reading Bode's article instigated my search for more information about the devastation caused by Texaco's (later acquired by Chevron) oil drilling there and resulted in the creation of a new artwork called ChevronToxico. (24"x30" Acrylic, wax, wire, sticks on wood panel) I have uploaded an anotated bibliography to my professional website that includes more information about the oil contamination in the Amazon and contemporary artists working with environmental issues. Here's a link to it. wirtartalk Ill write more later about the artwork shown above.
