Fruitlands Museum 2010 Artist in Residence Barry Van Dusen will present an illustrated lecture at the Museum in Harvard, Massachusetts on Sunday, April 18 beginning at 1:00 pm. Barry will discuss his travels to Israel on a project organized by the Artists for Nature Foundation.
In 1990, Ysbrand Brouwers, a Dutch art collector and wildlife enthusiast, took the initiative with a group of artists friends, to portray the beauty of the island of Schiermonnikoog (Netherlands) and invited an international group of artists to join them. The works of art that resulted were published in the book ‘Wind, Wad en Waterverf’ for which HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands wrote the introduction.
Exhibitions were organized, and together with the book the need to protect this precious area was brought to the attention of decision makers and the wider public. Major conservation organizations supported the initiative and their actions resulted in Schiermonnikoog receiving the status of National Park.
Seeing the potential impact of art working as an instrument for nature conservation, Ysbrand founded the Artists for Nature Foundation in the same year to push the concept much further.
Since then ANF has undertaken12 successful projects on 4 continents with 130 international artists.
Explore the natural and cultural history of Israel, and learn how art is used to promote hope and cooperation. For directions and more information, log on to www.fruitlands.org.
