December 16, 2015

To EcoArt South Florida’s many friends:

As of January 1st, 2015, EcoArt South Florida will become part of South Florida’s history. We are extremely grateful and happy that EASF’s archives, including the facebook page, our e-newsletter and alerts, the website, powerpoints and documents related to our operations since our founding in 2007, will become part of Florida International University’s Steven & Dorothea Green Library Special Collections. This will mean that researchers here in Florida and elsewhere, artists interested in considering EcoArt as a new creative direction, FIU students and faculty, as well as the general public, will have access to the materials and information EASF has generated over the years.

Most of this material will be available electronically, through the Library’s online catalog, by the Fall of 2015. To learn more, please contact the Special Collections staff at the FIU Library, (305)348-2454 / (305)919-5726.

Special Collections Dept., GL 422
Florida International University
11200 SW 8th Street,
Miami, FL 33199, USA

It was difficult for the EASF Board to decide to end EASF. The process of arriving at this decision was thorough, including surveying our Board, advisors and key stakeholders, and discussing the options in depth. Neither option, bringing on a new executive director after I step down the end of December, 2014, nor merging with another nonprofit, turned out to be possible. Many thanks to Board members Mauricio Giammattei, Pierre Rodriguez and Jim Moir, for persevering in thinking through the several possibilities, and to the Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties for funding the strategic planning effort which allowed us to have the dedicated help of consultant Kim Pruitt.

In terms of what plans I personally have, I will be working on a book (yes, about EcoArt!) and getting more involved in encouraging activist art in our region, especially activist art addressing the many problems we can expect as seas around our peninsula rise. To get an idea of how and what I am thinking now, check out the essay I did for Love the Everglades Movement earlier this month, which encourages activism across the spectrum from the cool, “slow activism” of EcoArt to the hot, fast tactical pranks and hijinx of the Yes Men. http://www.lovetheeverglades.org/…/effective-resistance-dre…

It’s been a really great ride. Many thanks to all of you…for your encouragement, your involvement, your faith in the importance of EcoArt practice to our urban and natural ecologies, and for your many contributions, both financial and otherwise. I hope many of you will continue to make EcoArt and support its spread across our region.

Please stay in touch.

All the best,

Mary Jo Aagerstoun