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Natural Awakenings Atlanta

ART Awakens and Activates

Our Mother is in deep danger. Yet so many seem to either deny the fact, not take it as seriously as need be or be frozen by the sheer magnitude of the problem. Moreover, at a time when our political leaders have abandoned all semblance of responsibility of managing the environment for the common good, our Mother needs the support and activism of her children more than ever.

Yes, many organizations, businesses and state and local governments are pressing the issue, doing all they can and making headway. But there is no substitute for strong leadership at the federal level, where the concentration of power and resources that can be applied to saving Mother Earth is unrivaled.

Global warming is the existential crisis of our time, yet those in power in Washington are worse than do-nothings; they are actively making matters worse, day by day. They seem to care more about getting whatever is left for themselves than the destruction of life as we know it. Only a thorough takeover of the reins of power can save us.

Which is where we, the people, come in. In a very real way, we don’t need any more facts; The evidence of our imminent demise is aplenty and thoroughly convincing. What we need is a jolt to the heart—what our heads know rarely moves us to action, but what our hearts know leaves us no choice but to act.

That’s where art comes in. If we are to survive this precipitous moment, this seeming tipping point in Earth’s history, many of us need to rise up and do what’s necessary. And the contribution of conscientious artists may be a key variable in prompting a future citizens’ uprising.

Thus the topic of our feature package this month: art that instigates action, and the artists that create it. Managing editor Diane Eaton interviews three Atlanta performing artists who have created works that speak to the heart about our collective environmental Waterloo. Sue Schroeder is working on choreography for a piece that will debut in 2019. Triplethreat Angela Bennett has created a performance piece that will go on tour shortly, and she plans to visit area schools in the coming school year. And musician Aviva Vuvuzela has not only written at least one song about hemp, but has undertaken citizen education and lobbying efforts to legalize it.

Natural Awakenings welcomes and applauds their efforts, and those of countless other artists, and hopes and prays that they are joined in the fight for sanity and saving Mother. One day, perhaps, history will recognize the turning point in the fight for our survival to be the explosion of conscious art-making in service of our small blue planet. Where hearts lead, feet follow. And in this situation, we hope that your feet take you straight to the polls.

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