Exhibited as part of the "Ecoventions" Exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Center

Since 1996, eco-artist Brandon Ballengée has been studying declining populations and deformities in amphibians. These investigations have involved collaborations with numerous researchers throughout the United States. A recent project involves investigating wetlands in central Ohio with Dr. James Barron, Biologist at Ohio University Lancaster. Dr. Barron and Ballengée are both field observers for the United States Geological Survey’s North American Reporting Center for Amphibian Malformations (NARCAM). All aspects of the project have been documented and data obtained from their field work has been submitted to NARCAM. Numerous deformed specimens were collected and will be on exhibit along with drawings and other materials at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. Additional specimens collected from Arizona, California, New York and Oregon will also displayed.

As a component to the "Ecoventions" exhibition, Dr. Stanley Sessions and Ballengée, will be conducting and web-casting an actual laboratory experiment. The procedure will involve mechanical disruption in developing amphibian limb buds. Many of the malformations found in the wild can be induced through injuries caused by parasitic infestation. "To understand the deformities that are being found in the wild, we must conduct experiments on limb development in the laboratory" says the team. They go on to say "The intention of exhibiting our experiment is not to shock’ or disgust’ the viewer but instead to demonstrate the type of experiments necessary in order to understand what is happening in the environment around us. We also hope to explore the aesthetic as well as scientific wonder of the complex growth processes of other living creatures.

ECOVENTION - Current art to transform ecologies

For almost forty years, artists have been developing innovative ways to resolve complex ecological problems. Some artists argue "don't touch it," others invent novel strategies to remediate degraded sites, while others are devoted to maximizing biodiversity. Coined in 1999, the word ecovention blends ecology and invention. Ecovention, co-curated by ecoartspace curator Amy Lipton and CAC curator Sue Spaid, seeks to highlight innovative artist-initiated solutions that are impacting the environment.

Ecovention is the first-ever museum exhibition to showcase realized projects that have transformed local ecologies. The nearly forty works included reflect the diversity of approaches and projects currently transforming sites in California, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, and Pennsylvania, as well as Australia, Finland, Germany, Israel, Kenya, Korea, Kansas, Thailand, the Netherlands, and Russia. Ecovention, is organized to demonstrate five distinct focuses: 1) Activism/ Monitoring, 2) Valuing Anew/Living with Brownfields, 3) Biodiversity / Studying Species Depletions, 4) Urban Infrastructure/ Environmental Justice, and 5) Restoration and Reclamation Aesthetics.

This landmark exhibition will illuminate the important role that artists with environmental concerns are playing in communities. Such artists attempt to solve today's ecological problems by involving local experts and scientists in the discovery and implementation of innovative strategies. Ecovention explores current projects by this field's influential artists, such as Agnes Denes, Hans Haacke, Newton and Helen Harrison, Patricia Johanson, and Mierle Laderman Ukeles, as well as recent works by dozens of artists who first gained prominence during the 1990s. In addition to the exhibiting works at the Contemporary Arts Center, several artists have collaborated on ecoventions with local groups to resolve local environmental issues.

For more info visit: www.greenmuseum.org/MALAMP