How Images and Stories Influence our Future as a Global Citizenry: Renewing our Relationship to Nature and Culture

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“Artists have a special role to play in the global struggle for peace. At their best, artists speak not only to people; they speak for them. Art is a weapon against ignorance and hatred -- an agent of public awareness. Art opens new doors for learning, understanding and peace."
-- Kofi Annan
This presentation results from decades of studying ancient and modern cultures. As an artist, Osprey Orielle Lake is dedicated to creating bridges between cultures by honoring the living earth that we all share. Because globalization frequently leads to expansion in many spheres of society, attention to differing cultures is essential. To balance these extremes people need to acknowledge the importance of cultural diversity. One way to do this is by respecting and protecting the uniqueness, history, language, worldviews, myths, the flora and fauna of each land. Osprey is one of the world’s few female allegorical monument makers and her international monument projects and presentations reflect how the honoring of cultural differences, integrated with appreciation for nature, creates a sense of belonging and connection, both locally and globally. This lecture/multimedia presentation includes stories of earth-based peoples and ways to integrate this longstanding knowledge into a modern context with technology, urban life and international strife. Speaking at Mikhail Gorbachev’s State of the World Forum, a gathering of 700 leaders from 120 countries she said, “Art, because of its creative and visionary nature, needs to be a part of the dialogue as we develop models for a sustainable and compassionate global civilization. Narrative art is of great importance in guiding and influencing the direction of humanity. We need to renew our dreams about what calls us to our common humanity. Transforming and creating new stories and images provides an opportunity to create a balanced view of what the future can hold.”

Stream: Representations: Media, Communications, Arts, Literature

Paper: , , How Images and Stories Influence our Future as a Global Citizenry, Consumer View of Technology, The, How Images and Stories Influence our Future as a Global Citizenry

Osprey Orielle Lake is an internationally renowned artist and speaker with a lifetime interest in ancient cultures and indigenous worldviews. In her public appearances and work in bronze (sculptures and monuments), she combines contemporary and ancient images into meaningful statements that reflect a global consciousness and a vision of choice and transformation. One of the world’s few female allegorical monument makers, Osprey is the founder/artist of the International Cheemah and Mari Monument Projects, which celebrate environmental and multicultural themes. The Cheemah Monument Project is dedicated to building bridges between cultures and involves placing eight 18-foot (5.5 meter) tall monuments in city centers around the world. Osprey has taught and lectured in the U.S. and abroad, always endeavoring to inspire others to appreciate the arts as a critical tool in societal transformation. On the faculty of a California university, she explores connections that are essential at this turning point in history so that what emerges is a new dream for our industrial-technological age. Osprey is currently writing a book that offers a unique perspective on nature, the arts, indigenous and western worldviews and is Co-founder of Living Earth Media.
www.cheemahproject.org www.mariproject.org