One of the early pioneers of environmental art, Betty Beaumont has helped define this movement as “a model of interdisciplinary problem solving”.

She has applied her social, conceptual and environmental concerns to a wide range of projects including the use of coal wastes to create an artificial marine habitat, interactive multimedia and conceptual photo-based art.

“In much of my work, I present issues and ideas that challenge us to question norms; to re-examine our own beliefs, actions or inactions, tolerance of mis-information, and potential to effect change.

My ecological concerns are interdisciplinary. I have produced a body of environmentally and socially concerned, research-based projects. My definition of environment is all-encompassing personal, political, social, spiritual, physical, cultural and economic.”

“The first industrial revolution is now officially over. And another one is beginning to take form. It is in this space, this gap or cusp between these revolutions that my work has taken place over the past 33 years. It is in this new transformative space that I will continue to work. It is a political space that has the potential of aligning and integrating how we support life economically, ecologically and spiritually.

In order to imagine this space it is vital to change our belief systems. I am suggesting a cultural transformation that will encourage our community to consider Nature as an integral part of the Human value system.

I believe the future is created by the quality of the present and that art can contribute to the making of a different future, that the societal role of art is to explore the potential within ecological, political and economic landscapes whether they form ideas (mental landscapes), or physical terrain (in the real world) and/or virtual environments (in cyberspace).”

Beaumont’s work addresses issues and engages audiences. Through her outdoor interventions and indoor installations in galleries and museums around the world, we gain insight into the form and history of human impact on the environment.

-Reprinted from www.greenmuseum.org