Within the last month, the Rotary Club of Demerara unveiled its latest initiative: “Wildlife Art in the Park.” Recognizing that Guyana is home to so many unique and beautiful species of wildlife, the Rotary Club of Demerara wanted to play a part in biodiversity awareness while also working to fulfill Rotary’s newest Area of Focus, Supporting the Environment.
The Club aimed to take this a step further and also to shine a light on Guyanese artists and the immense talent that they possess. The concept, therefore, was to commission 6 local artists to paint one of 6 chosen lesser publicized wildlife species in Guyana and display these in a natural environment with regular foot traffic in an effort to incorporate art and biodiversity into our everyday lives.
After much research and deliberation, the Club’s Wildlife Project Planning Committee selected 6 animals after consideration of their IUCN and CITES status, along with their interesting features and importance to the Guyana ecosystem.
These were the Red Brocket Deer, Golden Handed Tamarin, Red Siskin, Giant Anteater, Yellow Footed Tortoise, and the Jabiru Stork. These were painted by artists Stephen Craig, Anna Joao, Christina Bianchini, Giovanie Fletcher, Diana Luke King, and Delancia Semple respectively.
Visitors to the National Park will be able to view all 6 paintings as they walk around the track. Each painting has two QR codes so that interested persons can scan and learn more about the artist who painted that image, or the Rotary Club of Demerara. Each painting also has an informational sign about the animal, including interesting facts and their conservation status.
Paintings will be displayed in the Park in the upcoming months. Current President of the Rotary Club of Demerara Indira Mattai noted that based on the number of submissions during the Club’s public call for artists, it is clear that there are so many unique artistic voices in Guyana, and the Club has been excited to provide a unique forum to display some of these.
Further, the Club has been happy to provide the public with an innovative and unique way to appreciate local art in a natural environment. The Club intends to repeat this initiative in the future and potentially expand to other forms of artistic formats such as photography.
The Rotary Club of Demerara would like to thank the Management of the National Park, Repsol Exploracion Guyana SA, and Shaw’s Media for their support in making this initiative a reality.
(Rotary Club of Demerara Press Release)
