There are many ways to acknowledge and appreciate Earth Day and this year a group of Northumberland County artists are coming together in one of the most beautiful ways with an evening of song and art in support of local environmental initiatives.
Through music, film, visual art, and spoken word, the Old Camborne School — at 3441 Albert’s Alley in Camborne about seven kilometres north of Cobourg — will be transformed into a space of fun and reflection at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 20th during “NatureNurture: An Evening of Art for the Earth.”
Organized through sponsorship from Zon Engineering and an arts grant from Community Power Northumberland, NatureNurture tickets cost $20 per person and are available in advance at eventbrite.ca/e/860093190887. A small number of tickets will be available at the door for $20 cash or pay what you can.
“We have always been looking for fun, interesting, and different ways to connect artistically that also speak to the things that are really important to us,” says Shannon Linton, who is the co-organizer of the event alongside poet, writer, and interdisciplinary artist Meredith Katie Hoogendam aka Merkat. “Our art often has a lot to do with the natural world or with climate and people’s experiences of bad situations, so this was a natural fit for us.”
Linton will be performing original songs and “meaningful” covers alongside Toronto vocalist Whitney O’Hearn and indie folk singer-songwriter Jakob Daniel of Cobourg. Called “Murmuration,” the musical pieces explore the common theme of connecting with community and earth for environmental change.
“It’s really focused on the idea of us as humans coming together to make ourselves safer and to make something beautiful the way birds do in murmuration,” says Linton.
For the “Hills Are Alive” segment of the evening, Hoogendam will be screening a short film, presenting her visual artwork, and using language to connect with the audience.
“(Hoogendam’s work) is about the innate dialogue that exists between humans and the natural world, and remembering or returning to actually having a connection to the natural world where it isn’t just something we use for our purpose, but something that we are in a full relationship with,” says Linton. “She sees the world and expresses herself in a way that I don’t know of any other artist that does, so I’m really excited for that piece of the evening.”
While Linton herself has always been conscious of individual things she can do for the planet, it was connecting with Hoogendam, O’Hearn, and other activists in a book club during the pandemic that “lit a fire in her” to become even more vocal in her climate activism.
“Climate solutions require bigger action from government and corporations,” Linton says. “And that has now gone even further into having us think about how we can also create communities that care for one another, because climate change is here. We are not fixing all of it — we cannot fix all of it now. We’re too far gone in some ways, but we still need to be able to have meaningful and beautiful lives and help each other.”
Since the book club, Linton has been joining advocacy groups, volunteering, and is on the environment and climate committee in Hamilton Township.
“I live in paradise, in a beautiful, beautiful natural environment, and I want my two kids to be able to have a meaningful life that includes the natural world,” she says. “That includes community building with people and the connection to earth and to the natural world around this city that is so beautiful and life-giving.”
As a climate activist, Linton ensures that even her merchandise as an artist is environmentally conscious. Not only are her T-shirts upcycled but, rather than selling CDs, for her EP about climate, In Spite of Everything, she chose to release a book of watercolour acrylic paintings from local artist Janita Wiersma to pair with each song. The book is similar to an album booklet, with the album itself available online.
“I think it’s wasteful to just create things for the purpose of getting people to buy them,” she says. “It’s a lot of plastic and a lot of waste, so this book is, to me, another piece of art and a beautiful contribution to the music, and not just a thing for people to buy.”
The proceeds from the merchandise, Hoogendam’s visual art pieces, and ticket sales will all go towards local non-profit organizations. Hoogerdam has chosen for her proceeds to be donated to A Gift of Trees, a fundraiser from Ten Villages Cobourg. The fundraiser’s goal is to plant 10,000 trees equally in the local area through the Ganaraska Regional Conservation Authority and across the country through Tree Canada.
Linton’s donations will be supporting the work of the Northumberland Land Trust and the 14 properties the organization stewards.
“They are doing incredible work — all volunteer — to protect our natural landscape,” Linton explains. “They’re doing all this important work, and it flies under the radar. Rather than hoping the government will take care of everything, smaller groups doing their part are really important and what’s going to get us through.”
Though the April 20th show is the first of its kind, Linton remains hopeful that it might become a regular event that will continue to make audiences think about the climate in a fun and engaging way.
“I love to collaborate and we’re both very committed to continuing in advocacy, so I think it’s fair to say it will happen again,” she says. “But it would never look the same twice, because we’ll always have new ideas.”
For updates, visit the Facebook event page.
Those interesting in donating to the event can support the Northumberland Land Trust, A Gift of Trees at Ten Thousand Villages Cobourg, or email Linton at shannonlinton@hotmail.com.
