Here’s some unusual news about some artists who have responded creatively to the Greenbelt legislation.
Artists Michelle Teitsma, Kim Rempel and Jan Yates have been working for over a year on a project examining the Greenbelt legislation in southern Ontario. Their combined body of work challenges preconceptions and presents a diverse and compelling exploration of the Greenbelt, they claim.
“In our research we predicted opposition to the legislation by developers,” says Jan Yates, “but we were not prepared for the resistance of farmers and growers to the law’s imposed constraints on their land, in effect telling them what they could and could not do with it.”
The artists have visited and interviewed landowners, farmers and those in the public sector. They gathered information and corresponded with many individuals and organizations including Friends of the Greenbelt, Grape Growers of Ontario, Ontario Greenbelt Alliance and Environmental Defense. The collective also investigated whether the Greenbelt legislation provides protection for old-growth trees, flora, migratory birds and wildlife threatened by urban sprawl.
Although they will continue to expand and investigate on an on-going basis, the artists are now ready to exhibit a strong body of work. They are looking for exhibition venues and their mandate is to exhibit work in public art galleries throughout Greenbelt communities. As well, they intend to reach more urban gallery locations outside of the protected Greenbelt region. They are looking for opportunities to exhibit in alternative exhibition venues and welcome invitations.
You can read more about their project. If you are a grower or organization in favour of the Greenbelt policy and would like to participate in their research, please email them.
