OSPREY, FL (July 16, 2018) Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast welcomes collaborative artists Valerie LeBlanc and Daniel H. Dugas as Artists-in-Residence this July and August. On Saturday, August 4th, the public is invited to join the pair for a lively discussion from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm in which they will discuss their residency at Bay Preserve and their individual and collaborative practice based in media arts and writing. The program will be held at the foundation’s headquarters at Bay Preserve, 400 Palmetto Avenue in Osprey. Reserve your seat at www.conservationfoundation.com/events or call (941) 918-2100. The artists will also offer an exclusive three-hour workshop, Moving in the Landscape: Visible/Invisible, on August 11.
LeBlanc and Dugas have worked collaboratively on media projects, performances, and writing since 1990. They each continue to carry out individual creative projects as well. While the range of their individual works varies according to social, economic and philosophical concerns, their collaborations, often carry an ecological focus.
The two have exhibited and presented widely throughout North America, Europe, and Australia. Their Flow: Big Waters website of video poems and soundwalks is based on their residency in the Everglades National Park in 2014. This year, they launched EVERGLADES, the book version of the project.
Since 2014, they have returned to South Florida many times to present and to further research natural environments and human interventions. In 2017, they began their OASIS residency at the Deering Estate. Recently completed, the project has evolved into a series of two-channel video programs and plans for installation settings. Learn more about their residency and connect to their daily field blog at www.conservationfoundation.com/artist .
Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast saves land, forever, protecting those special natural lands that make this region extraordinary. Working with landowners, businesses, and government, Conservation Foundation protects the character and natural integrity of the bays, beaches, barrier islands and their watersheds on Florida’s Gulf Coast. A nationally accredited land trust, the Foundation purchases natural areas, holds land conservation agreements and educates for responsible land and water stewardship in Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee Counties. Learn more at www.conservationfoundation.com.