Protect Ancient Forests believes in the power of artistic collaboration.
Creativity leads to Awe
Education leads to Awareness
Inspiration leads to Action
Protect Ancient Forests presented:
Climate Aid: The Voice of the Forest
Merrill Auditorium — Portland, Maine
On October 15, 2023, Protect Ancient Forests held a legendary environmental event featuring music, poetry, art and advocacy — with one-of-a-kind appearances by:
Maggie Rogers (GRAMMY® Award-nominated producer / songwriter / performer), Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, Penobscot Nation Ambassador Maulian Dana Bryant, Alisa Amador (2022 NPR Tiny Desk Contest winner), Oshima Brothers, Halcyon String Quartet, organist James Kennerley, poets Beth Ann Fennelly and Gary Lawless, Protect Ancient Forest founders Michael & Alyssa O’Brien, as well as environmental legends Bill McKibben, Terry Tempest Williams, and Rick Bass.
The event benefited the creative grassroots environmental movement to protect the ancient “Black Ram” forest in Montana’s Yaak Valley—as well as all remaining mature and old-growth forests on U.S. public lands.
Event program can be viewed here.
Press release can be viewed here.
Spring 2023 — Painting with ARRT!
Protect Ancient Forests partnered with Maine-based art collective, the Artists’ Rapid Response Team (aka ARRT!), for a banner painting project. Over the course of several sessions, community members and youth climate activists joined forces to learn about the importance of ancient forests and to create art that would be shared on the steps of Portland’s City Hall, as well as at the inaugural Climate Aid: The Voice of the Forest event in October 2023.
Summer / Autumn 2023 — Light Projections with LumenARRT!
Protect Ancient Forests partnered with the creative visionaries at LumenARRT! — via the Union of Maine Visual Artists — to create a series of large-scale ancient forest themed animations to project onto the facade of City Hall on the evening of Climate Aid: The Voice of the Forest.
Over the course of many collaborative sessions, and one dress rehearsal, this grand vision came to life and turned downtown Portland, Maine into an old growth forest for a night — creating an enchanting environment that inspired both attendees and passerby, creatively raising awareness about these irreplaceable ecosystems.
