Global GeoARTBlitz – July 21 - 28, 2024
Join us from wherever you are in the world for a free global citizen art-science blitz July 21–28, 2024.
The Global GeoARTBlitz is a geography+art version of a bioblitz, which are regional or global events that encourage people to observe nature in a specific geography and upload their species observations to iNaturalist.
It will be fun: any time between July 21 to 28, 2024 go out in the field wherever you are and create a journal page, painting, poem, or music (any art) in response to your nature observations. Be sure to accurately record metadata: longitude, latitude, time, date, elevation, even weather.
You then upload your work to iNaturalist (more on that below). Our work will then will be mapped on clickable entries. If you create song or spoken-word art, record as a video to share, or contact the organizer for ways we can link to sound files. If you create visual art, poems or other written works, take a photo to share.
The Global GeoARTBlitz is hosted by the Royal Geographical Society Art of Exploration Collective, a group of artists who explore nature and communicate conservation through art. The Collective is ever growing, and includes Alex Boon (UK), Anna Brewster (UK) Kirsten Carlson (Germany), Ali Foxon (UK), Rob and Harriet Fraser (UK), Tony Foster (UK), Tom Napper (UK) and Roseann Hanson (USA).
The results of the Global GeoARTBlitz will be shared with participants in the Royal Geographical Society's Explore Week, which we encourage you to attend if you can - October 28 - November 3. Find out more at https://www.rgs.org/events
How you take part:
1) Download the iNaturalist app from your app store, create an account, and join the project there (if you want to use your phone to participate). If you use the app, click Projects at the lower right, and use the Search function to find “Global GeoARTBlitz 2024.
2) You can also create an iNaturalist account via a web browser https://www.inaturalist.org/ and participate by uploading using your computer.
IMPORTANT: Go to the GeoARTBlitz project page and join the project so your uploads will be seen in the GeoARTBlitz: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/global-geoartblitz-2024
4) Make your field sketches, poetry, song or other art and upload to the GeoARTBlitz Project any time between July 21 and 28, 2024. If you have joined the group, it will automatically add your observations to the project.
NOTE: Any entry you make to iNaturalist this week will be added, so we ask that you only post ART this week (photos can be added as secondary ID images along with your art sketch). This will keep our feed art-only if we can (for the project). If you upload a lot of photo IDs, then please either do only art this week, or skip our project, than you for understanding!)
5) Be sure to remain in the GeoARTBlitz project at least through November since we are sharing results during 2024 Explore Week at Royal Geographical Society in London in late October / early November.
Questions? Contact Roseann Hanson, the organizer of the Global GeoARTBlitz.
If you are in the UK, let us know, as there are several Art of Exploration Collective members hosting regional GeoARTBlitz events or other geogrpahy-art events during the same week; in particular if you are near Devon, check out Anna Brewster and Alex Boon’s River Coly Project which extends through the summer and into the autumn. Here’s their GeoARTBlitz event:
Sunday 21st July, 10am-12noon - Coly River sketching group walk upriver, meeting at Chantry Bridge, Colyton, Devon (the old stone bridge near the garden centre) This is a free nature/art session with Anna and Alex and you can do whatever creative thing suits you best, it doesn’t have to be sketching. The walk is flat on fairly even terrain. Children are welcome under parental supervision but please leave dogs behind for this one. No need to book; just turn up! If it’s raining we can do something in the studio instead.
Thank you for joining us in celebrating the art of field observations and recording nature through art.
