Bonsai Aerial Adventures has officially started construction on a zipline across the Colorado River from Eagle Rim Park to Las Colonias Park.

Bonsai CEO Thaddeus Shrader said Monday Bonsai broke ground on construction a few weeks ago. The build-out will take several weeks, he said, although its too early to give the zipline a precise opening date.

Were very excited to get it installed for use this summer, Shrader said.

Construction is underway on both the landing pad at the butterfly pond, near the Bonsai building, at Las Colonias Park and the take-off pad at Eagle Rim Park, Shrader said, but construction shouldnt affect park-goers at either park.

The zipline is being installed as part of a deal in which Bonsai agreed to build a zipline worth at least $600,000 after receiving $1 million in incentives to move its headquarters into Las Colonias Business Park, near where the landing pad is under construction.

Construction was originally expected to be finished by August, 2021, but has been pushed back several times because of engineering and other complications.

According to the ziplines operating agreement, which Grand Junction City Council approved in November, 2021, rides on the zipline will cost $18 for youth 17 and under, with $1 to go to the city, and $21 for adults, with $2 to go to the city.

The city of Grand Junction leased the ground the zipline is being built on to Bonsai for $1,069 per year for 25 years.

The new logo and name Riverfront Zip Adventures are posted on the Bonsai Design Facebook page. The main part of the logo is in the shape of a butterfly to pay homage to the butterfly pond at Las Colonias.

Bonsai released a statement Monday, saying: Bonsai is excited to be underway with their art installation which serves as the landing of Grand Junctions Zipline across the Colorado River. They are underway with construction on both the launch and landing zones, located at Eagle Rim Park and Las Colonias Park, respectively. Bonsai has worked to minimize park zone closures and will be expediting their installation process for the next 6 weeks. Get ready Grand Junction, as this summers float season will include a swollen river from all the snow weve received, but also a new amenity at the rivers edge!

Read this article:
Construction underway on Las Colonias zipline - The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

(Todays article is by Contributing Writer, Heather Ryerson)

The earth has welcomely come alive at Ijams Nature Center after a winter slumber with flowers blooming and trees beginning to green. The osprey have returned from their seasonal migration, and the spring peepers (a frog species) are singing their futile mating songs. A newly renovated and now handicapped-accessible universal pond in front of the visitors center is showing signs of life again and served as a perfect centerpiece for Fleurish: A Sustainable Fashion Event where guests were presented with sustainable and avant-garde fashion for a cause.

Ijams website describes the event: Fleurish is a collaborative runway show showcasing how sustainability, conservation, and beauty intertwine with our lives and our future. Local designers, hair stylists, and makeup artists join forces to create amazing designs that incorporate sustainable materials and innovative recycling methods, and reusing what was once discarded.

The following 18 designers worked hard to put together sustainable, creative, and beautiful designs. Seating lined the runway path, and some guests took advantage of the opportunity to throw blankets on the grass and enjoy the fashion and entertainment picnic-style. The runway show kicked off just as the sun began to set. With over 60 models, there were many ohs and ahs as they moved through the crowd. Each model represented a team of hair and makeup specialists and a designer or design team. You will soon see professional photos from the event along with the designer for each ensemble on the Ijams website.

The evening began with a cocktail hour and music by local favorite Rica Chicha, who recently performed at the Big Ears Festival. Guests also enjoyed the fiber bombs, upcycled fiber art installation, by Victoria Walsh and Craft Appalachia. I had the privilege of meeting Danielle Johnson, who made one of the larger pieces on display.

The runway show began at 7 with comments from Sarah Brobst and ended with remarks and thanks from Amber Parker, CEO of Ijams. The musical entertainment during the show and after was from the creative and talented Brent Hyder. Brent is described as a live-looping artist, one-man-band, creating chill times and good vibes.

Fleurish is a fundraiser for the Nature Center and is the brainchild of Ben Prager in partnership with the staff at Ijams, primarily the talented Sarah Brobst, Visitor Services Director at Ijams and artist. Amy Lee is the Media and Marketing Director of Fleurish. The event raised $10,000, double what they raised last year, and attendance at this years event more than doubled. Ben told me he feels Fleurish is a way to bring creatives together to demonstrate their talents and allows them to do something for the greater good. He smilingly compared it to a playdate with other creatives.

Next years event will be held on April 21 at Ijams. The theme will be Funk vs. Punk. This announcement elicited cheers and excited chatter from the crowd. Ben encouraged audience participation for next years show by choosing funk or punk for your own outfit. Im already planning mine. Some steampunk fashion may be in my future!

If you have questions about Fleurish or want to contribute or participate, contact Sarah Brobst at sbrobst@ijams.com or fleurishknoxville@gmail.com. If you want to be part of the Ijams family and support their outstanding work for the community by preserving the land and creating space for visitors to enjoy the outdoors, click here!

I have added a handful of the photos I took at the event. Please check back on the Ijams website soon for professional photos and information on the designer/design by Kara Hudgens Photography and the Fleurish marketing team.

n

Go here to read the rest:
Ijams presents the Second Annual Fleurish 2023: Keep Growing - Inside of Knoxville

Assessment of shear strength under dry and hydrated conditions

The interface shear tests were designed to understand the effects of overburden stress levels represented through normal stress variations, grain shape effects through natural and Msand having significant difference in their particle shape and hydration effects through dry and wet tests. The shear response of GCL-River sand and GCL- Msand interfaces in dry condition at different normal stresses is presented in Fig.6. Variation of shear stress with displacement is shown in Fig.6a and MohrCoulomb failure envelopes are shown in Fig.6b. Most of these initial tests were repeated to confirm the reproducibility of results. For both GCL-River sand and GCL-Msand interfaces, peak shear stress increased with the increase in normal stress, which is indicative of increased interlocking mechanism between the fiber of geotextile and sand particles under enhanced confinement effect of overburden. Further, the plots show that higher peak shear stress is attained for GCL-Msand compared to GCL-River sand interfaces. Since the test conditions and gradation are maintained identical, the difference in the shear behaviour can only be related to the shape of the sand particles. The internal reinforcing fiber of GCL resist the applied shear force, contributing to the overall shear strength. They transmit the shear force from upper layer to the lower layer of GCL. The post-peak reduction in shear stress can be linked to the extension of reinforcing fiber at large shear strains, which causes loss of tensile strength, leading to the reduction in the interface shear strength11,12,13. The values of interface friction angle () and interface adhesion (ap) for dry GCL-sand interfaces computed from the best-fit lines of the failure envelopes considering peak interface shear stresses at different normal stresses shown in Fig.6b are listed in Table 2. All GCL-sand interfaces showed lesser friction angles compared to sand-sand shear tests. Friction efficiency of GCL-sand interfaces, which is defined as /, is always less than 1.0, as shown in Table 2.

Shear response of GCL- sand interfaces under dry condition (a) stressdisplacement response, (b) failure envelopes.

Bentonite improves the hydraulic performance of GCL, giving it the ability to self-heal. Upon hydration, bentonite increases its volume by 600%, which creates significant impact on the shear strength of GCL. Figure7 shows the crystalline swelling mechanism of bentonite as explained by Ruedrich et al.27. In field, suction of moisture from the interfacing subgrade can lead to bentonite hydration in GCL. The fluctuating groundwater level and infiltrating rainwater can result in abrupt rise of water content of subgrade, thereby negatively impacting the shear strength of GCL-sand interfaces. The worst-case scenario for this reduction of interface shear strength would be the completely saturated condition of the sand subgrade. In this study, interface tests under saturated conditions were conducted to examine the impact of bentonite hydration on the computed interface shear strength parameters. The water content in sand was maintained at 18% in these tests to achieve complete saturation and the GCL specimens were hydrated by suction of moisture from the sand. The normal stresses used for this set of tests were 7kPa, 30kPa and 100kPa. The low normal stress of 7kPa was used to permit high swelling of bentonite and high normal stress of 100kPa was used to facilitate the extrusion of bentonite on to the surface of GCL. Both these phenomena influence the interface shear behaviour of GCL-sand interfaces. The stress- displacement response of GCL-River sand and GCL-Msand under saturated subgrade condition are shown in Fig.8. A significant difference in peak shear stress of river sand and Msand interfaces was observed at higher normal stress of 100kPa, as seen from Fig.8a. When Fig.6a for dry tests and Fig.8a for saturated tests are compared, significant reduction in shear stress at all normal stresses was observed under saturated conditions. The hydration of GCL resulted in the swelling of bentonite, exerting tensile forces on the reinforcing fibers, and thereby impacting the interface shear strength. At higher normal stress, swelling of bentonite is opposed by the overburden stress, leading to the bentonite extrusion onto the interface through the voids of the nonwoven geotextile surface. Figure8c shows the swelling of GCL specimens with the hydration time for normal stresses of 7kPa and 100kPa. As stated earlier, higher swelling is observed in interfaces tested under 7kPa, which signifies the higher volumetric expansion of GCL upon hydration as compared to interfaces tested at a normal stress of 100kPa. At higher normal stress, the swelling is restricted and found to be 57% lower. The volumetric change is observed to be more for GCLs interfaced with river sand. Bentonite is extruded through the voids of the nonwoven surface of the GCL and forms a slimy layer at interface. The extruded bentonite along with the lubricating layer of water at interface, reduces the frictional resistance. Computation of interface shear strength for saturated conditions through Mohr- Coulomb failure envelopes is shown in Fig.8b and the values of interface friction angle () and interface adhesion (ap) are listed in Table 2. As observed, the adhesion and friction angles of the saturated interfaces are significantly lower than those of the dry interfaces. The interface friction angle was reduced by about 10 from dry to saturated condition, both for river sand and Msand interfaces and the interface adhesion was reduced by 710kPa from dry to saturated condition, for the reasons explained above. The reason for the reduction in frictional resistance with saturation is the slimy layer of extruded bentonite under saturated conditions and the interaction of sand particles with this layer, which restricts the efficient sand-fiber interlocking. The lubricating layer of water also reduces the frictional resistance at the GCL-sand interfaces under saturated conditions. Even though identical gradation was maintained for river sand and Msand in this study, Msand interfaces showed significantly higher friction angle and adhesion compared to river sand interfaces in all conditions due to particle morphology effects, which are explained in subsequent sections.

Crystalline swelling mechanism of clay minerals by hydration.

Shear response of GCL-sand interfaces under saturated condition (a) stressdisplacement response, (b) failure envelopes, (c) swelling-hydration time response.

The influence of sand grain shape on the shear response of GCL-sand interfaces is evident from the analysis of the test results. The availability of high-end imaging techniques and robust computational tools have made accurate quantification of particle shape possible. By using imaging techniques, soil-geosynthetic interaction mechanisms can be accurately analysed and the same can be correlated to the measured mechanical response to gain deeper insights. In this study, digital imaging techniques were employed to differentiate and quantify the shape parameters of sand grains and to understand the microlevel changes to the tested GCL surfaces to explain the interaction mechanisms at the interface.

The grain shape comprises of three multiscale componentsform (macro-scale), roundness (meso-scale) and surface texture (micro-scale)28. The form, a macro-scale component, describes the deviations in particle proportions. The meso-scale component, roundness, describes the undulations or corners along the particle outline. The surface texture, micro-scale component, defines the minute roughness characteristics on the particle surface. Several shape parameters were defined in literature to characterize the particle shape using particle images and computational techniques. The most widely accepted shape parameters are sphericity, roundness and roughness given by Wadell29,30, which were widely used by many subsequent researchers13,25. Sphericity representing the closeness of the grain shape to a sphere, roundness representing the smoothness of the grain boundary and roughness representing the micro-scale irregularities on the grain boundary, are collectively used to represent the overall grain shape. In this study, an algorithm is written in MATLAB to quantify Wadells shape parameters of sand grains. For this purpose, microscopic images of sand particles were converted into binary images through image segmentation in MATLAB and shape parameter quantifications were carried out on the binary images. Figure9 shows the microscopic and binary images of typical grains of river sand and Msand, both of 0.6mm size. Figure9b,d show the outline of the grain along with the centroid, for river sand and Msand grains, respectively. These grain outlines are plotted in the spatial domain of grain radius in pixels and angle in radians, to obtain the raw profile of the individual sand particles, as shown in Fig.10. The raw profile consists of the three multiscale features of the grain, which are form, roundness, and roughness, which are identified and marked for both the sand particles in Fig.10. While the macro-scale component encompasses the complete raw profile, the meso-scale component corresponds to the major peaks and troughs of the raw profile and the micro-scale component corresponds to the closely spaces clusters of minute deviations in the profile. The raw profile of the Msand particle shows more meso-scale and micro-scale components of shape, indicating the angularity and rough texture of Msand particle compared to the river sand particle. Further shape quantifications were carried out on the binary images of 200 individual particles in different size fractions for both the sands using MATLAB algorithm29 and the average values of shape parameters were computed. The average sphericity, roundness and roughness were obtained as 0.78, 0.38 and 0.0024, respectively for Msand and 0.84, 0.42 and 0.001, respectively for river sand31,32,33. The natural weathering and erosion processes responsible for the formation of river sand particles gave them higher sphericity and roundness compared to Msand particles which were stone-quarried. The average roughness value of the Msand particles is twice the average roughness of the river sand because of the mechanical process involved in crushing of rocks to manufacture the Msand.

Microscopic and binary images of typical sand particles (a) Microscopic image of river sand particle (b) Binary image of river sand particle (c) Microscopic image of Msand particle (b) Binary image of Msand particle.

Raw profiles of typical river sand and Msand particles with multiscale shape components marked.

The sharper elongated and rougher Msand particles generate higher friction upon interaction with other surfaces such as GCL as compared to river sand particles, which is confirmed from the results of interface shear tests. While the sands are being sheared on GCL, apart from the adhesion and friction between sand particles and GCL, there is another important mechanism that significantly contributes to the shear strength of GCL-sand interfaces, which is the sand-fiber interlocking. Through Fig.11, sand particle interlocking within the fibers of GCL can be clearly visualized for GCL-River sand and GCL-Msand interfaces. Using binary image segmentation and region properties function in MATLAB, fibers and particles were differentiated and the percentage area of sand particle entrapment on GCL surfaces was computed. Under dry conditions, the area of entrapment of sand particles for GCL-River sand and GCL-Msand interfaces was 3.44% and 2.29%, respectively at a normal stress of 100kPa. Without other influences, increase in particle entrapment must result in increase in the interface shear strength. However, GCL-Msand interfaces showed higher shear strength compared to GCL-river sand interfaces despite the relatively lesser entrapment. The reason for this higher shear strength is the shape of the Msand particles, which compensated for all other effects.

Images of tested surfaces of GCL showing particle-fibre interlocking (a) GCL-River sand (b) GCL-Msand.

In saturated tests, swelling and extrusion of bentonite greatly influenced the interface shear strength as well as the particle entrapment. Figure12a shows the tested surface of GCL after a saturated test in which extruded bentonite along with a lubricating film of water can be clearly observed. The extruded bentonite forms a slimy sticky layer at the interface, which reduces the friction at the interface. The slimy bentonite layer sticking to the fibers can be seen in Fig.12b, which is the photograph of the GCL dried after a saturated test. This layer causes higher sand particle entrapment because of its stickiness. The area of entrapped sand particles after saturated tests was higher and computed as 35.55% in GCL- River sand and 20.80% in GCL-Msand interfaces, at a normal stress of 100kPa. These results prove that bentonite hydration effects are more in river sand. Shear strength of GCL-Msand interfaces is higher compared to river sand particles even under hydrated conditions, because of the particle shape effects.

Images of tested GCL surface after saturated shear tests taken at 20magnification (a) bentonite extrusion under hydration, (b) extruded bentonite after drying up the GCL.

The interface shear tests, and image analyses carried out in this study bring out the benefits of replacing river sand in liners and capping systems of landfills with Msand and provide scientific explanations for the same. The practical benefits of this study lie in the reduced usage of natural sand in landfill construction, which has long-term environmental benefits. Cost of manufactured sand is much less compared to the cost of river sand, and hence the replacement has high economic benefits. Feasibility of production of specific gradation of Msand to derive maximum benefits in terms of interface shear strength is an added advantage. Findings from the present study can be used to derive empirical relations between the shape parameters of sand and the interface shear strength with GCLs using multivariable regression analysis. However, such relations will be more meaningful if the data includes tests with different GCLs and different water contents in the sand, which can be investigated in future.

View post:
Engineering benefits of replacing natural sand with manufactured ... - Nature.com

With so much focus on climate change and the need to take care of our planet now before its too late, the employment landscape is changing. Today and into the future, green is the colour of choice whether that be the type of energy we generate, the kind of home we live in or the foods we eat.

Finding innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint is top of mind for so many. With that said, we present the following green jobs that are either here now or expected to be prevalent in the years ahead.

Job title: Renewable energy specialist

Sector: Environment

Average salary: $85,000 to $125,000

Description: The anxiety in relation to the environment and climate change continues to grow and will only intensify in future years. Renewable energy specialists will be vital, thinking about alternative resources that will not harm the environment.

Job title: Solar technician

Sector: Environment

Average salary: Starts at $48,000

Description: Learn the solar power business in order to work with members of the public and businesses who have installed solar panels on troubleshooting inquiries, installer queries and other technical responsibilities.

Job title: Residential energy auditor

Sector: Construction and retrofitting

Average salary:$43,000-$106,000

Description:A residential energy auditor is a specialized consultant who helps assess and improve the energy efficiency of residential buildings in essence, a building inspector who focuses on energy efficiency measures. They provide homeowners with specific and actionable recommendations to improve the home's level of energy efficiency, increase comfort, support health and safety, and create cost-savings on utility bills.

Job title: Environmental remediation specialist

Sector: Environment

Average salary: $75,000-$100,000+

Description: Unfortunately, the environment is often exposed to toxins, which leads to soil contamination and degradation of ground and surface waters for many years. Groundwater seeps down through the soil and accumulates in the open spaces within sedimentary rock. Surface water is the water found in streams, ponds, rivers, lakes, oceans, etc. Environmental remediation specialists design and employ remedial action plans to clean up sites affected by these toxins, such as gasoline, diesel, oil, dry cleaning chemicals, lead, arsenic, pesticides and heavy metals.

Job title: Conservationist

Sector: Environment

Average salary: $48,000+

Description: Conservationists protect things, places, biological life and ecosystems from the impacts of climate change. They develop plans for nurturing endangered species, promoting the sustainability of habitats and rebuilding populations of life forms nearing extinction. They normally work for government agencies and private landowners; however, they can be employed by parks and zoos. Conservation science is expected to continue to grow over the next 10 years.

Job title: Windturbine technician

Sector: Trades

Average salary: $59,000+

Description:Wind turbine technicians install, repair, operate and maintain the wind turbines that produce renewable energy. They diagnose issues relating to wind turbines, help ensure the physical integrity of wind turbines and complete inspections. They might also troubleshoot the electrical, mechanical and hydraulic components that make up a wind turbine.

Job title: Water resources engineer

Sector: Trades

Average salary: $72,000

Description: A water resources engineer oversees the water supply and use of a specific community. Their duties include testing water samples to ensure it's safe for human consumption and implementing ways to clean water that may be contaminated. This can also involve implementing strategies to preserve water and promote sustainable use.

Job title: Urban Farmer

Sector: Agriculture

Average Salary: approx. $50,000

Description: What would we do without farmers? Without a doubt, they play a vital role in our lives, working tirelessly to produce the healthy foods we eat each day. While we associate the traditional farm with rural Canada, more and more are taking up the profession in larger urban settings as well, producing food for local restaurants, farmers markets and shops. According to Keystone Masterstudies, these are more than hobbyists but people who grow up to $100,000 worth of organic produce using less than half an acre of land.

Job title: Environmental Lawyer

Sector: Public

Average salary: $92,000

Description: Environmental lawyers advocate for victims of climate injustice. They are experts in legal concerns involving environmental components, such as land, air, and water. Environmental lawyers often advocate for stricter sustainability standards in cases of widespread pollution, waste management, and hazardous material handling, all of which have a negative influence on the ecosystem. These professionals may also defend clients who have suffered health consequences related to living in excessively polluted locations.

Job title: Energy Consultant

Sector: Environment

Average Salary: $68,000

Description: Energy consultation, which some people refer to as renewable energy consultation, is a relatively new career path in which consultants assist clients in evaluating, comprehending, and implementing technologies that decrease their carbon footprint and total energy usage. These professionals may operate in a range of contexts to measure energy use and provide cost-effective ways to reduce it. Energy consultants typically collect and evaluate data on day-to-day energy use, offer strategic solutions, design energy management plans, and collaborate with government authorities and organizational management to optimize energy consumption.

See more here:
10 green jobs of the present and future | News | toronto.com - Toronto.com

The last remaining untouched parcel of natural land in Windsor, Ont., is intimidatingly surrounded by the gargantuan industrial structures that loom along the Detroit River that naturally divides Canada and the United States.

The invasion of human activity on the small stretch of sandy, tree-lined beach that makes up Ojibway Shores is somehow both gorgeous and grim. To the left, near the citys salt mine, an enormous wheat-carrying ship stands silently docked in the shimmering water one of more than 600 that cross through Ontarios third-largest port every year. To the right, a power plant spews smoke in the air above another pitch-black ship, a grey aggregate factory, a forgettable Canadian Border Services Agency processing plant and the half-built skeleton of the Gordie Howe Bridge, soon-to-be the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America. Across the river is the black automotive and steel jungle Henry Ford helped build.

On this beach, the hums of industry harmonize confusingly with the chirps, rattles, whistles, trills and croaks of 252 species of animals, half of which are migratory birds. But as you walk away from the beach into one of the very few old-growth forests left in the province, the buzz of manufacturing an excavator backing up, a jackhammer drilling, generators vibrating fades away. Among 261 different types of plants, the silence that can only be found in intact nature fills your senses.

This land means everything, says Mary Duckworth, Chief of Caldwell First Nation, one of two nations that claim these shores as their once-stolen homes.

This clear, sunny March afternoon was the second time Duckworth had been back on the beach to perform ceremony since January. She gestures to all the industry the light touches. Centuries ago, before the Detroit River became the busiest border crossing in North America, multiple communities of Anishinaabe lived here freely. Her people were concentrated to the south at Point Pelee before they were brutally forced out, first unofficially by settlers and then officially by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Until 2020, Caldwell First Nation was one of the few First Nations in Canada without a reserve.

Down the river and around the bend is Walpole Island or Bkejwanong, meaning where the waters divide the name of another First Nation, which has the distinction of living on entirely unceded territory, never legislated, established or set apart as a reserve.

People might not remember how her community used to live, roam, hunt and fish across and all around the river, but water and land have memory, Duckworth says, as she crouches on the sand and cups her hand into the river, swirling it around to create ripples that fade away. That memory has remained even as the lands original stewards were forced to abandon it. It has remained as the auto industry rose in the 1960s, U.S.-Canada environmental law emerged in the 1970s and Windsor expanded all along the riverbanks in the 1980s. It remained as shipping across the river increased after the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in the 1990s and development intensified in the 2000s.

Just look around. Listen closely, Duckworth says. This land, this water, itll tell you everything.

Today, the water and land are telling us its future. Soon, this plot of land will become the latest addition to Canadas national parks system, marked by the iconic beaver logo, Ojibway National Urban Park. It will be the first national park in Ontario to be officially co-managed by First Nations, and only the countrys second national urban park a protected green space that exists in a densely developed city.

The creation of Ojibway National Urban Park has been more than 50 years in the making. Its an ambitious exercise to connect and protect nearly 365 hectares (900 acres), the scattered remnants of old-growth forests, wetlands, tallgrass prairies, oak savannah and riverbank in one of the countrys most developed centres, which also happens to be one of its largest endangered-species hotspots.

Creating a national park in the 21st century is not easy: the sheer number of people and institutions involved and land needed makes it an enormous task every single time. Canada has successfully created 10 parks since 2000, but perhaps none as complex as this one. Each parcel of land that will make up Ojibway National Urban Park is currently in different hands three levels of government, a handful of private landowners, a port authority and two First Nations. There are multiple visions from vastly different political processes about how best to bring them together.

Parks Canada is working on a new program to build more urban parks across the country, to preserve biodiversity and nature in the face of the climate emergency. This program is the federal agencys preferred route to making Ojibway happen because it offers them greater flexibility to build a green space in the confines of a city environment. But even as that process plays out, an NDP MP has introduced a private members bill to get Windsor a park sooner, an attempt to accelerate the tried-and-tested national parks process that created 48 iconic natural preserves across the country, including the world-renowned Banff and Jasper national parks in Alberta.

Then there are two First Nations Caldwell and Walpole Island that will retain and reinstate their rights to co-manage the stewardship of the park alongside government institutions. All that, plus an extremely invested community of academics, environmentalists, urban planners and youth that are trying to help, while relearning how to embrace nature in a way that centres Indigenous Knowledge and inclusive practices.

A lot is happening in Windsor right now. The potential for electric vehicles to reincarnate the citys auto industry is stoking excitement and nervousness, as it also spurs urban sprawl into the last vestiges of open farmland in order to house an anticipated influx of workers.

But Windsor also has limited access to nature: some estimate less than one per cent of the city is green space, one of the smallest amounts for an Ontario city. You can see it jarringly on any map small blobs of green at the westernmost point of an otherwise grey, structure-filled, man-made city.

Thats the backdrop to the formation of Ojibway National Urban Park. These disconnected spaces are already the only guarantee of nature for the citys residents, the best place to find trees in an otherwise leafless urban core. So everyone supports the creation of the national urban park, even if the many roadmaps to creating it are slightly different.

Ojibway started with an idea, and its ending with people, Duckworth says. Theres a lot of good intentions. Theres a lot of people that want to see this park. I dont know who is going to I dont know how Parks Canada will , she says, trailing off and pausing as she tries to vocalize how messy and political the parks creation has been. Well, I dont know how exactly itll happen.

But I know this park will be here forever, because were here to take care of it again.

If the story of Ojibway National Urban Park is about reconnection, relearning and reconciliation, then what happens next will have ripple effects across the country. This could be a springboard for Indigenous-led conservation and the poster park for sustainable development against all odds. Its almost a reality, perhaps even opening to the public next year, minus the ironing-out of a few hundred details.

Ojibway Shores is a 14-hectare chunk of shoreline at the western edge of what will be Ojibway National Urban Park. Just before World War One, it was poised to become the anchor site of a great steel town. That didnt happen; the failure to transform the land for industry because of war and the depressions that followed allowed the woodlands and prairie lands to survive. The city bought the shoreline in 1957 from the Canadian Salt Company and declared it a protected natural area four years later. Since then, the people of Windsor have been embroiled in a debate about what to do with land as the city encroached all around it, even as theyve largely been kept out.

For the last 14 years, the only human being officially allowed to walk through the sandy beach and the trees that hide it has been Peter Barry, a harbour master with the Windsor Port Authority, which has owned a significant portion of Ojibway Shores since 1997. Members of Caldwell First Nation call Barry the keeper of the land until it comes back to them. Its not been an easy task. Barry has had to safeguard the land from smugglers, party-goers, drug dealers, members of the motorcycle gang Hells Angels and others he says showed a total disregard for nature.

Despite all that, Barry says this is the most peaceful spot in the whole city. He knows every physical and historical corner of the shores, the place where he comes to get things out of my mind. He points to the east of the beach: there, he says, was the short-lived site of one of Canadas first wooden roller-coasters in the late 19th century. Further down from that, he recalls, beautiful mosaic tiles were discovered, souvenirs of beautiful New Age 1920s hotels that once hosted Great Gatsby-level parties on the riverbanks of the two countries.

Inside the forest, Barry remembers every animal hes seen: the deer that ran out in front of him with a coyote on its tail and, his favourite, the red fox. On the outskirts is the ditch that was once a dumping ground for old computers, refrigerators and tires, which he helped clean up with his kids and thousands of volunteers.

Barry placed concrete blocks all along the roadway to the shoreline, wide enough so bicycles and wildlife could pass through but narrow enough to stop vehicles from wrecking the land. As construction of the Gordie Howe bridge began in full force, Barry helped install a protection fence that ran from the Detroit River to the highway a couple of blocks away to prevent animals from going on the road. He bought a padlock and placed it on the only gate to keep the beach safe from, well, humans. He hated it, but its been there keeping people out, ever since.

I think Ive done a good job protecting all this, he says. Whats important about this land is that its still here. It hasnt been destroyed yet.

But Im tired. Im getting old fast. And I cant do it alone.

No one knows who exactly came up with the idea of protecting the shores as part of a national urban park. Barry empathetically says it wasnt him, although he knew they needed to be protected the minute he walked onto the sand. Its just special, it feels special, I dont know how else to describe it, he says. The consensus is that the whole community dreamt of it over decades the thought occurred to every single resident that knows Ojibway, who had seen the beach on a map, spotted it from the bridge, accidentally ran up to it.

Logistically, however, the vision started becoming a reality in 2013, when the Windsor Port Authority faced major blowback for announcing plans to bulldoze Ojibway Shores to make room for big-box stores. It backed down, and made a public commitment to protect the land. Last May, after years of discussion with the federal government, the port authority relinquished control of the shores to Parks Canada for $4 million. As part of the agreement, the port authority agreed to boost and protect fish habitat on the waterfront.

As Parks Canada inked the land transfer, it also began speaking to Caldwell and Walpole Island First Nations and hundreds of people in various neighbourhoods, schools and community centres across Windsor. It wanted to hear their thoughts about turning the shores into not just a national park, but a national urban park: a green space that can, in theory, be accessed by transit from across a sprawling city. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted an urgent need for access to nature by city dwellers and in 2020, then-environment minister Johnathan Wilkinson canvassed Canadians for their advice on the work of Parks Canada. The number one ask was more urban parks. Eighty-two per cent of Canadians live in cities and, they said in their letters to Wilkinson, getting a slice of nature in the hubbub of urban life would be so important to our mental health during these unprecedented times

Wilkinson instructed Parks Canada to come up with a policy to increase green spaces in the countrys most developed centres. The government agency successfully created one just eight years ago to mark the 100th anniversary of Canadas national parks system Rouge National Urban Park on the eastern edge of Toronto, made real by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper in his 2011 speech from the throne. Twenty per cent of Canadas population lives across the Greater Toronto Area, and Rouge Park allows them to escape to a world of bluebirds and salmon. Fifty-plus years after it was first imagined, the largest urban park in North America now protects ancient forests, creeks, farms, beaches and marshes, even as highways, suburban dwellings and industry encroach all around it.

Doesnt that sound like exactly what we need here? asks Catherine Febria, Canada Research Chair and assistant professor at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Windsor.

When Febria moved to Windsor from New Zealand in 2019, she immediately looked for water and trees, and found Ojibway Park.This is our second home, she says, away from her actual home 10 minutes away.

As a researcher, Febria soon discovered the redirected and built-over streams hidden all across the park lands, both above and below ground. She doesnt know yet how many there are, just that along its edges, the thin, meandering, babbling waterways collide with ever-growing suburban and industrial development, disappearing into the concrete. Some of the streams have been bulldozed entirely, but some, she believes, can be saved, maybe even restored. Febria wants everyone to imagine water running through Windsor again, connecting the park to the city, the natural to the built environment.

Here, theres been a systematic removal of rivers from their landscape, a systematic removal of people from its land, Febria says. The scientist in me knows its not going to be science that is going to solve the problem. Its going to be the local communities, the people that are going to protect this forever. The story of this park is the story of reconnection.

Just as she says that, five grazing deer appear behind her, cautiously watching the humans walking by. Two bright red cardinals fly onto branches near them and fill the air with chirps. See what I mean? Febria says.

Febria has been among those who have been advocating for the idea of a national urban park here for years. But it wasnt until after the 2021 federal election that the idea transformed into a plan. Wilkinsons successor, Steven Guilbeault, was allocated $130 million to create 15 national urban parks: one step towards the goal of preserving a quarter of Canadas lands and waters by 2025, a promise Guilbeault made last December at the global biodiversity conference COP15 in Montreal.

After Guilbeaults pledge, Parks Canada began creating a new policy to create such parks. Simultaneously, the agency also began talks with six other cities with the goal of giving each a park by 2025: Edmonton, Halifax, Saskatoon, Victoria, Winnipeg and Montreal.

The creation of both policy and parks is happening in tandem because the goal is to actually create parks in Canadas biggest cities, Caroline Macintosh, executive director of protected areas establishment at Parks Canada, told The Narwhal. She believes this way Canadians avoid a tradeoff: the agency could either spend years developing the perfect policy to build parks in complicated city environments or give residents much-needed access to nature now.

Policy is faster to develop, and its more flexible, which is really helpful in an urban environment where you have a lot of different lands, a lot of different landowners and just a very complicated situation, Macintosh said. The agency is collecting feedback nation-wide to ensure the policy is modern, effective, balanced and nuanced enough to deliver parks across Canada, she says. This way, our work can remain really relevant.

Ojibway National Urban Park in Windsor could theoretically be the first one created under this new policy. It has the impossible job of connecting six parcels of land, maybe more, each with its own unique biologically significant ecosystem and owner. But political processes are never simple or tidy, even though everyone agrees about protecting these lands.

Ojibway National Urban Park will be in Windsor but it will be created 750 kilometres away, by elected officials in Canadas capital region. And for the last year, the House of Commons has been in a bureaucratic and political debate about whether a park is first created on paper or by people.

As bureaucratic and boring as it sounds, all but one of Canadas national parks have been created through legislative amendment and an act of parliament. Theoretically, the process should be simple: find a beautiful green space full of magical biodiversity, insert its geographic coordinates into the century-plus-old National Parks Act and protect it forever. But the creation of Rouge National Urban Park proved creating green spaces in urban centres didnt work that way. Simple geographic coordinates couldnt capture the complexities of the various parcels of land and sheer number of groups that had to be connected.

And Parks Canada increasingly understood the need to contend with the history of national park creation as an act of colonization: doing things the old way would contradict government promises of truth and reconciliation. Many of Canadas national parks have been formed by shutting Indigenous people out of the process, perhaps even the land itself, without consulting them properly or respecting them as the stewards of the lands they have always been.

Parks Canada didnt plan to completely upend the traditional national parks process but it did aim to make it more modern and less colonial. Thats why, in the spring of 2021, one of the first consultations the agency did about Ojibway was with members of Caldwell and Walpole Island First Nations. The idea was to create a collaborative governance model that integrated both First Nations, as well as the provincial and local governments.

Holding such consultations before legislating exact coordinates hadnt been done before and long-time NDP MP Brian Masse for Windsor West was concerned about its effectiveness. Objecting to what he described to The Narwhal as some weird draft process that is nothing more than a patchwork of pieces of paper, Masse introduced a private members bill, C-248, in February 2022, aiming to amend the National Parks Act to include the geographic coordinates of the future Ojibway National Urban Park. We need to do it the right way, and the right way is to keep it consistent with every other national park, Masse reasons, noting the traditional process has ensured the highest standards of environmental protection and stewardship.

A lifelong Windsorite, Masse spent one of his first jobs after university offering employment support to people with physical disabilities near the Spring Garden Natural Area, an area he describes as a beautiful piece of nature that I had never been exposed to in that way in my city before. In 2002, he became MP for Windsor West, encountering the idea of protecting Spring Garden about 10 years ago when an endangered rattlesnake was discovered at a nearby development site: the community rallied to ensure it wasnt harmed and relocate it safely. Masse has been pushing for the creation of a park ever since.

Still, Masses bill is not without its challenges. It doesnt specifically note that the First Nations will co-govern the park. Caldwell First Nation, as the primary holders of Aboriginal title to the land, has been deeply embedded in Masses consultations since 2013. But Walpole Island First Nation, which is the secondary holder of Aboriginal title, was only informed of the Masses intentions properly a year ago and says the bill doesnt include all the natural spaces theyd like to see protected.

Chief Dan Miskokomon says his people are still understanding the process.

Walpole has just started consulting its nearly-2,000 person community about the park, its design and their role. Miskokomon is certain they want to be co-managers of the lands, with half of the jobs everything from operational management to restoration, stewardship and public engagement to be filled from their communities.

Im excited. This park is right in here, Miskokomon says, pointing at his heart. But this cannot be an isolated or private attempt. It has to be a collective approach and our members are key to the knowledge of how to do it. Next month, Walpole is planning to welcome Indigenous leaders that have created Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas or helped steward other parks across Canada to the island to share knowledge. It takes time, but the work has started, the Chief says.

In April, Guilbeault spoke to Miskokomon over Zoom to discuss next steps, including opportunities to address Walpole Island First Nations concerns with the bill. For his part, Masse says that he deferred all consultation with Walpole Island to Caldwell, as the two nations have a relationship.

But thats not how it should work, says Irek Kusmierczyk, a second-term Liberal MP for Windsor-Tecumseh. He defended Parks Canadas goals and the time it is taking to envision a new, modern policy that will set the gold standard for consultation.

Kusmierczyk, too, has been thinking about how to protect this land for a long time. Hes spent every weekend in Windsors parks since his family moved here as refugees from Poland in 1983. During the height of the 2007 recession, he spent five months walking through the five city-owned parks that make up whats known as the Ojibway Prairie Complex, identifying species at risk and meeting biologists to learn the history of every blade of grass. Protecting the lands was his first request in his first meeting with the Prime Ministers Office when he was elected in 2019.

Kusmierczyk insists Masses bill and the Parks Canada process are not in competition with each other, but he believes the park will be actualized by the agency in the end. Thats evident in what the agency has already accomplished, he says: the public consultations and completed land transfers are real, tangible milestones.

Theres value in [Masses] bill, but the Parks Canada process will deliver this park, Kusmierczyk says. You can either create a park superficially on paper, or you can work with everyone on the ground to legitimately make a park that lasts forever.

Masses bill would unilaterally enshrine Ojibway park lands in legislation before important details are hashed out. In House of Commons committee meetings about his bill, Parks Canada officials said their biggest concern is that if the bill passes, any provincial or city infrastructure sewer lines, power grids, streets and roadways within the legislated geographic region will become subject to Parks Canadas regulations.

This has the potential to create a headache of jurisdictional, liability and legal issues: Rouge National Urban Park posed a similar challenge, which is why it was given its own act within the broader parks legislation. Having learned lessons from Rouge, Parks Canada said some of these issues could be avoided if Ojibway was established with the more consultative and flexible national urban parks process under development.

This bill will essentially create an instant park by short-cutting around some important steps, leaving details to be worked out after the fact, Darlene Upton, vice-president of protected areas establishment and conservation at Parks Canada, told the committee last fall.

Upton further explained Parks Canadas forthcoming urban parks policy could create a model where the agency doesnt need to own all park land. The goal is to create a stewardship plan that guides different owners and stakeholders to work together, including various levels of government and First Nations. She said the agency would like more time to understand how to best create parks in urban settings in a way that centres reconciliation, conservation and access to nature.

The private members bill is a new and unknown territory, Upton said last October. No national park or national urban park today has been created this way. She explained there are a series of steps that have to be completed before a park becomes a park: land transfers are usually negotiated in advance, complete and meaningful consultations with Indigenous Peoples, stakeholders and the public are conducted and funding is secured.

The process for creating protected areas takes time. It calls for creating relationships and waiting. Although it takes time, it is worth it. At the end of the process, we have a place that will be comanaged, which is good for everyone, Upton said.

Our process will take a little bit longer than this bill but will achieve the same result in the end.

Parks Canadas Macintosh also told The Narwhal the agency is continuing its consultations about Ojibway. Whatever way this gets done, the goal is to have a national urban park in Windsor, she says. Officially, the timeline is 2025 but, as things are progressing quickly, she says the park could open by next year.

Despite the various concerns, many in Windsor support Masses bill, saying it has accelerated the creation of Ojibway. Without the bill, some believe theyd be still dreaming of a park, instead of on the verge of watching it be created.

Others say the politics around this park has made the process endlessly and unnecessarily complicated and confusing. Just this week, Parks Canada announced the finalization of significant land transfers including Ojibway Shores from Port Windsor to Transport Canada to Parks Canada, and a one-acre (0.4-hectare) private property adjacent to the park lands that was bought by the City of Windsor so it too can be included in the national urban park. At the press conference, Kusmierczyk thanked Masse for advocating tirelessly for the protection of Ojibway Shores and the creation of a national urban park.

It was a warm, conciliatory public acknowledgment that attendees hadnt heard before. One said that thats the effect of a national park: The beaver shows up, and everyone gets on their best behavior.

It feels like weve continually been moving towards this moment. The city has never wavered in their desire to protect this.

But Masse wasnt present to hear it: he was the only official missing in a room where politicians from the city, the province and the federal government were standing in support of the park with Parks Canada officials and members of Walpole Island First Nation. Even as the park was declared ready for its next steps, politicians were bickering over who was invited and with how much notice.

Politics as usual getting a park, fast seems, at this point, to be winning out over the more complex goal of decolonizing the parks process, at least a little. Masse expects the bill will pass on April 26 with unanimous support across party lines. That would make Ojibway the first national park to be created by a private members bill.It also gives the NDP MP a political win, despite his failure to consult Walpole First Nation, and despite the federal governments stated intent to make sure the creation of Canadas next 15 parks is significantly different from the first 48.

As people across Canada push for adifferent, betterkind of park, the federal governmentsrumoured supportof Masses bill instead of allowing Parks Canada time to figure out how to build relationships with both First Nations and a more inclusive process wouldnt seem to indicate things are changing drastically, yet.

For his part, Masse says hes leaving the rest of the park process in [Parks Canadas] hands now.

Yes, of course, politics and legislation is messy, but creating anything is messy, Masse says. And were all trying to create something that will last forever.

Karen Cedar was eight when she first visited Ojibway Park on a school trip. I remember the trees, I remember the deer, she recalls, laughing. From my eight-year-old brain, it feels the same: a place thats old and not urban. It doesnt feel created.

For 33 years, Cedar has worked at the City of Windsor, most recently as its naturalist. Even though she officially retired a few months ago, she is still representing the city in conversations about the national urban park with Parks Canada. She is a fountain of institutional knowledge, recounting how the city started buying park lands outside its boundaries in the 1950s when residential development ramped up because these lands just felt special. The province bought a property as well, and through the years the federal government gave the city money to buy and protect more.

Everything was growing, but everyone hesitated when they came to this area, she says. It feels like weve continually been moving towards this moment. The city has never wavered in their desire to protect this.

The challenge, then and now, was perfecting a balancing act that allowed people to come and fall in love with these lands while also leaving animals and plants to go through their life cycles uninterrupted. There are many levers, Cedar says, but if everyone presses all of them something amazing will happen.

The results of that are starting to show: a complex, intricate, extremely large ecosystem of people trying to protect an equally complex, intricate, extremely large ecosystem of nature.

Six areas totaling 365 hectares, some held by private owners, others by various levels of government, will be pulled together to make Ojibway National Urban Park. Now officially owned by Parks Canada, Ojibway Shores is the smallest parcel of land in the network, on the westernmost edge.

South of the shores are five parks owned by the City of Windsor, known as the Ojibway Prairie Complex. These were once filled with corn fields, the efforts of the first major European settler farming community in southern Ontario. They contain one of the most endangered ecosystems in Canada tallgrass prairie, which once covered large sections of the province, but now cant be found anywhere else in Ontario, and is a crucial sponge during Windsors annual floods.

Theres Black Oak Heritage Park, home to old-growth trees around 200 years old, as well as extremely rare native plants and butterflies. It also hosts many nesting birds that are hard-to-find near an urban area: scarlet tanagers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, eastern bluebirds and Coopers hawks.

Ojibway Park is where most Windsor residents spend their outdoor time, sharing several nature trails through the meandering forest with deer and foxes. Tallgrass Prairie Heritage Park has the largest pond system in the Ojibway complex. It is home to rare prairie wildflowers like tall green milkweed and the slender bush clover that havent been found anywhere else in Canada.

The last two city-owned parks are Spring Garden Natural Area a mixed landscape of prairie, swamp and a really old lagoon, where trees hide a rich site for butterflies and an endangered, and declining, population of eastern massasauga rattlesnakes and Oakwood Natural Area, a 14-hectare provincially significant wetland that serves as an important stopover for migrating birds in the spring and fall.

Windsor has agreed to give the federal government all its green spaces. Mayor Drew Dilkens says since the park predates his birth, its only right it lasts long after him, too. For many years, we were never able to find the perfect deal that made everyone happy, Dilkens says. Now that its happening, the city will be able to host a pathway to move humans and animals from the Detroit River to the centre of the urban core. Dilkens wants to build a $23-million bridge, or a six-lane wide wildlife overpass, that connects Ojibway Park and Black Oak Heritage Park as the first attempt to stitch two parcels together.

Having that national beaver logo on a park and everything that comes with it, well thats going to be special, he says. And yes, a private members bill to protect land is a very blunt instrument. It makes everyone nervous. But it got us here. It got the federal government acting. It actually served its purpose.

All of this takes time, Dilkens says. Weve been talking about it so long, were excited to see some positive momentum. Everyone is acting in good faith.

There are a few spaces that arent locked down yet, like South Cameron Woodlot, which has large natural sections that are privately held. Chappus Natural Area is partially privately owned and partially owned by the provincial Ministry of Transportation. And the southernmost part of Ojibway National Urban Park could be formed from parks in the neighbouring Town of LaSalle.

And up until this week, the major holdout was the provincial Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, which owns Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve. This potential park parcel contains more rare plants than any other park in Ontario: in the fall, eight- to 13-foot tall wildflowers, like the big bluestem and Indian grass, line its trails.

Ontario only joined the Ojibway National Urban Park discussion in February 2023, when Ontario Environment Minister David Piccini sent a letter to Caldwells Chief Duckworth. In it, Piccini said he understood why the First Nation wanted a national park instead of a provincial one: As you mentioned in our last meeting, First Nation communities are the child of the federal government, Piccini wrote. I respect your feelings on this and understand the value of incorporating this into the national discussion we are having on urban parks.

The provincial minister promised to work collaboratively to achieve shared stewardship but expressed grave concerns about selling Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve to Parks Canada as well as the political nature of Masses bill.

Bottom line for Ontario is that we remain committed to building meaningful relationships; to shared stewardship; and protection of the land regardless of whose banner this new park would ultimately fall under, Piccini concluded, promising to stay at the Parks Canada table.

Piccini and his office did not respond to multiple interview requests from The Narwhal. At the announcement held by Parks Canada and Kusmierczyk this week, he made a surprise public commitment or intent to transfer the Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve lands to Parks Canada. Details of how the province would do this have not yet been released.

While the lands are coming together, both Caldwell and Walpole Island First Nations also need to define co-governance with Parks Canada, and that will take some time.

We understand Parks Canada has its own laws. So do we. But our laws arent written down, says Clint Jacobs, Walpole Islands natural heritage coordinator, who has been at his job for 25 years. Our Elders tell us our laws are written on our heart and were meant to practise them on a regular basis and a lot of us do. But at the same time, a lot of us need to re-learn what those laws are just because of residential schools and the genocidal impacts on us. We need to unlearn, in some cases, and relearn, and then together co-learn a lot of this.

He gives an example: language. He explains generations called grasslands weeds, noting it wasnt a drug term, just the closest English word we had. To us, it didnt mean something to get rid of.

But his grandparents called the grasslands mskhoden, or the place where fires go through, in Anishinaabemowin, harkening back to a time when controlled burns on the Prairies helped maintain their health and abundance.

The park will be representative of what used to be there and we could have it back, Jacobs says.

Meanwhile, local environmentalists, advocates and academics are trying to stay out of the political back-and-forth to focus on reframing the citys relationship with nature so its Indigenous-led and inclusive. The behind-the-scenes work has been endless as Febria and her colleagues a group of municipal leaders, biologists, naturalists, Indigenous stewards and mothers shes dubbed a staunchness of aunties work to finalize and honour a decolonized process. To help it take shape, these women are building a stewardship program with Walpole Island and Caldwell that will train Indigenous youth to be the guides and protectors of the lands, as they also take up other aspects of the parks governance. Meanwhile, local city-builders have started thinking about how to connect future development to the soon-to-be-created park. These lands cant be sacrificed, they all say, staunchly.

This feels like our last chance, Febria says. Were all unlearning and relearning. And were filling this gap with Indigenous Knowledge first and foremost.

Of course, its complicated, Cedar says. But for all the complexity and nuance, theres not a single person who knows about this park who says this is a bad idea.

Ojibway National Urban Park will exist, if only by the sheer will of the community, and it starts with Ojibway Shores. Barrys solo watch over the still-untouched land began to end last January when Caldwell First Nation was able to come back to their land for the very first time in centuries. This moment is the beginning of everything for them: this year, a long-landless nation will also break ground on its permanent home, a new reserve a mere 50 kilometres from the shores.

Excerpt from:
Will Canadas next national park be in Windsor? - The Narwhal

While her collection of antiques is timeless, it was only 18 months ago that Bronte Taton started her passion project, Cleo Collects.

In that short time, the antique dealer has amassed a loyal following, not just of Instagram followers (of which there are many), but of high end interior designers and antique collectors.

Later this month, shell be expanding her operations to include a stunningly curated Subiaco showroom. Located within one of Hay Streets heritage shopfronts, the front of the showroom is a dreamy space flooded with sunlight, and houses a thoughtful selection of furniture, homewares and artworks that range from 70s Italian chrome to 17th century French tapestries.

To the rear, a pleasingly creaky, winding staircase leads up to a second storey one with some cosy nooks ready for curation (one room will be devoted to Gabriella Crespi-inspired bamboo pieces, another is clad in hot pink and features an entire wall of Murano glass sconces). Overlooking Hay Street, a spacious gallery-style room is awaiting a container of larger pieces from Paris.

When I was looking for spaces, I really wanted something with good bones, something that tells a bit of a story. For people to walk in and be able to go from room to room and era to era, Bronte tells us, leading us through the upper level.

Were representing a few artists as well, so its going to be a bit of a gallery space up here too, which will be cool. Im in chats with Lums next door, were hoping to do some wine and design nights, maybe quarterly, maybe host some workshops with artists upstairs as well.

I guess a lot of my clientele is in the western suburbs, given the price point. But Im also really attracted to the grunge of the city I grew up in San Francisco and in Paris, and I love that city life. I want it to feel like a terrace, almost like a Sydney vibe, with a lot of foot traffic.

I think Lums is also a big drawcard, the fact that there are some cafes and some like-minded creatives and stuff around. I was like, Cool, this is a good spot.'

After so much success working almost exclusively online, were curious what prompted the move to a brick-and-mortar location.

I was trying to style things in my house, and I dont mind sharing photos of my house, but Im quite a private person, so I also just wanted to really separate work and home life. So I think that was a real driving force for me. Also just being able to style pieces obviously it helps to sell, but it also helps to tell the story too.

Ive had good feedback since Ive come into this space and have started taking more videos and photos in the space. And people are walking past! Im starting to enter that Perth market, which was really hard to crack into the online sales were 90% Sydney, but I think there are people here that are equally interested in antiques and vintage.

Tatons own love of antiques goes well beyond the establishment of Cleo Collects, with her formative years spent between Perth and Paris.

My family is French, so they moved to Perth from Montmartre in the centre of Paris back in the 80s. I think when youre from those Mediterranean places its always ingrained: art, food And I never realised that until I met my husband and he was like, Gosh, everything in your life is so French!

I relocated with my parents to Paris to do my high schooling there, and then I studied fine arts. So that was just a really beautiful world to experience everything was there! Like an excursion was going to the Louvre, things that you just totally took for granted at the time. But thats really stuck with me, and my moms always had a really huge appreciation and Ive always gone to galleries with her, so its been instilled for a long time I just didnt quite know in what capacity it would eventuate.

I moved to San Francisco in between Paris and Perth, when I came back I did study architecture for a year and thats how I met my husband, he used to be a heritage architect. I always thought that Id live in Paris again, I think when you have those two cultures your heart is always split.

Ive just tried to be really true to myself Ive always loved vintage music and film, and I just wanted to build a really strong brand around that and not be afraid to use pops of colour. Just be really different from other brands, and I hope its come across in that ways, but I think Ive really stayed true to myself.

Fittingly, the designers veer very much to the European, with an Art Deco and midcentury focus. Think 1950s buffets, cabinets and more from Guillerme et Chambron, the aforementioned Crespi-inspired bamboo, Charles Dudouyt, and rope pieces from Audoux Minet. Glassware and lighting is also a focus, with brands like Barovier & Toso and Mazzega well represented alongside technicolour contemporary pieces from Danish designer Helle Mardahl.

So how do you make the leap from loving antiques, to becoming a full-blown antiques dealer?

It was a learning curve for sure. Im very lucky that Ive got family still in France and they do a lot of on the ground sourcing for me, but it was about building an aesthetic that I liked. My auntie works for me, so she goes around all the antique places and finds things that arent necessarily listed online.

Probably for the first half of the collection I was very, very, very, very involved. I still am very involved, but in terms of being on the ground, I went to France to find those pieces.

Whereas now Ive also got an agent who is in Milan she finds a lot of antique and vintage lighting for me, and she knows what I like. So thats been a really efficient process. But I still went to the antique fair in Venice last year, and its still good to be on the ground.

The sourcing I really enjoy obviously it takes up a lot of time, but when I do find a piece that Im like Oh my god, this is so good We found this big brutalist sideboard from Belgium thats really hard to find and we found it for a customer, its like a treasure hunt, like I found it!.

Its really nice that now that Ive built up a bit of a brand, people are more trusting with the process too, particularly with art, I found that thats an area that I really love which I think kind of stays true to my education in Paris as well.

Starting online, I had to market myself in a different way to other antique dealers. Obviously there are a lot of Perth antique dealers that bring in really amazing things, but theres not that many that are bringing in these specific designers. I just want to be able to style it in a nice way and kind of show how you could do it at home, and amongst newer pieces.

Im passionate about it, too Ill talk your head off about this stuff! I want to like give a little bit more information on the provenance of each piece: whether thats in the form of stories or, for instance, upstairs were putting a projector thats going to have the designers talking about their pieces and their background.

So yes, its an investment but you can also share that story when youve got the piece in your house. Theres something really nice about that.

Cleo Collects is located at 435 Hay Street, Subiaco, and is currently open by appointment.

See more here:
Cleo Collects' stunning antiques are coming to a lush new Subiaco ... - Perth Is OK!

Another column about rain gardens? You betcha! After all, whats not to love about a garden that supports the health of the local watershed and wildlife, reduces flooding, and enhances the curb appeal of your home, school, or business?

For those new to the concept, rain gardens are bowl-shaped gardens that take in stormwater runoff from nearby hard surfaces, such as a roof or an asphalt driveway. The plants and soil clean the rainwater by filtering out pollutants. Rain gardens come in many shapes, sizes, and styles, depending on the specifics of your space and your personal gardening style.

This week, were sharing five things you may not know about rain gardens.

Advertisement - story continues below

Rain gardens are often dry. Unlike a pond, which holds water throughout the year, rain gardens are designed to temporarily store water until it can be absorbed into the ground.

Ideally, water in a rain garden will drain within 24 to 48 hours of a heavy rain event. During the summer, established rain gardens can go many weeks without water.

The best part? Fewer mosquitoes in your garden!

An average residential rain garden in Peterborough can divert about 1.5 cubic metres of water from the storm sewer system each year. Thats roughly the same volume as 9.5 bathtubs.

Keep in mind that bath water in Peterborough is treated before being returned to the Otonabee River, but roof runoff isnt. Without treatment, runoff carries garbage and pollutants straight into the watershed.

By sending rainwater to a rain garden, you can harness the power of soil and plants to filter pollutants as water soaks into the ground. Imagine the potential for the watershed if more homeowners, schools, and businesses installed rain gardens on their properties. Thats a lot of bathtubs.

Rain gardens also help us adapt to the impacts of climate change, which include more precipitation in shorter amounts of time. They do this by reducing the amount of runoff the municipal stormwater system has to manage during heavy storms.

Advertisement - story continues below

Rain gardens provide wonderful entertainment.

As soon as you install one, youll fly out the door at the first hint of rain to watch the bowl fill and recede. Trust me!

You can incorporate trees into your rain garden if your space allows.

Its important to build your rain garden outside the canopy of any existing trees to protect their roots. However, theres no reason why you cant plant a new tree in your rain garden. Planting trees is critical for adapting to climate change, especially since extreme weather events can damage the urban tree canopy.

Some of our favourites include River Birch (Betula nigra), Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), Eastern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis), and Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.). These native trees and large shrubs are well-suited to the variable moisture conditions found in rain gardens and add height and year-round interest.

You can customize your rain garden with many native plants and trees so it becomes uniquely yours.

Advertisement - story continues below

Eligible homeowners can receive up to $1,000 from the City of Peterborough to install a rain garden at home. Thats wild!

In addition to the subsidy, you get to enjoy all the secondary benefits that rain gardens offer, such as butterfly visits and the envy of your neighbours. Plus, GreenUP is partnering with the City of Peterborough to provide applicants with consultation visits and customized advice.

The application process begins with an eligibility assessment. Once youre pre-approved, you will receive resources and support to design your own unique garden. Additionally, applicants can take advantage of up to two site visits by GreenUP staff during the design and installation process.

One of these visits is required and must take place during construction. The other visit can be used at a time of the applicants choosing, for additional advice on garden design, application support, maintenance or plant selection.

The subsidy covers the costs of plants, soil, mulch, rock, and other non-equipment expenses incurred while building a rain garden. The subsidy can also be used to hire a landscape contractor for design and/or construction, if desired.

Advertisement - story continues below

Its not too late to reap the benefits of a rain garden and receive a subsidy this year. For more information about the Rain Garden Subsidy program, visit http://www.peterborough.ca/raingarden, or direct questions to Hayley Goodchild at hayley.goodchild@greenup.on.ca or 705-748-3238 ext. 213.

GreenUP can help you source plants suitable for your rain garden. Visit the Ecology Park and speak to our staff in the Native Plant & Tree Nursery during our hours of operation, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday.

Read more:
Peterborough GreenUP shares five things you may not know about rain gardens - kawarthaNOW.com

Bay City celebrates a 60-year sisterhood with Ansbach, Germany this year.

Like most sisters, the two have had their ups and downs. This year, though, the cities revived the relationship. The celebration includes a re-named bridge in Ansbach, a new piece of public art in Bay City, and international visitors for each community.

Earlier this summer, a delegation from Bay City visited Ansbach, Germany. The Germans will visit Bay City in mid-September. (Photo courtesy of Bay City government)A sister city relationship is a broad-based, long-term partnership between two communities in two countries. A relationship is officially recognized after the highest elected or appointed official from both communities sign off on an agreement to become sister cities. Learn more about sister cities on the Sister Cities International website.

Bay Citys partnership with Ansbach, Germany began in 1961, largely spawned by immigration of Germans to our area in the 1800 and 1900s as well as the strong German heritage of the towns surrounding areas.

Throughout the years, the relationship has ebbed and flowed. There were points when we feared the partnership might end, but now both towns are determined to re-connect.

Bay City Manager Dana Muscott poses with her Ansbach, Germany counterpart, Thomas Deffner. (Photo courtesy of Bay City government)In early July, a group from Bay City traveled to Ansbach to participate in the official celebration of our sister city connection. The group included representatives from Bay City government, Saginaw Valley State University and its Gerstacker Fellowship Program as well as Bay City Public Schools. A group from Germany plans to visit Bay City Sept. 15-18.

City Manager Dana Muscott, who made the trip to Germany, says the group toured the town, participated in formal ceremonies, and learned about German culture. As part of its 60-year celebrations, Ansbach dedicated one of its walking bridges to our town and named it Bay City Bridge.

The 60th anniversary of the relationship was in 2021, but COVID-19 delayed celebrations. The pandemic didnt stop efforts to re-kindle the connection, though.

The visitors from Bay City attracted the attention of local media in Ansbach. (Photo courtesy of Bay City government)During COVID, we were checking in on each other, checking to see how they were handling it and how it was affecting their city. Things like that made it easy to tell that there was a bond forming between us, Muscott says.

The three other Bay City representatives included 5th Ward Commissioner Rachelle Hilliker and Monte Oswald and Walter Hagen from the Deutsch Amerikanischer National Kongress (DANK Club).

Their German hosts made sure the visitors experienced both the formalities of governmental procedure as well as the relaxed nature of the German culture.Muscott says she loved visiting the sister city.

During the visit, Ansbach named one of their bridges for Bay City. (Photo courtesy of Bay City government)Im smiling from ear to ear, she says. It was a trip of a lifetime. Im very grateful to have had the opportunity to represent the city of Bay City and celebrate this re-connection.

For pictures from the trip visit the Bay City Government Facebook page.

A flag hangs in the Ansbach business district commemorating the relationship. (Photo courtesy of Bay City government)The trip was only the beginning of the 60th anniversary celebrations. In mid-September, a delegation from Ansbach will travel to Bay City to tour our town.

During a Sat., Sept. 17 public event, representatives from the two cities will sign a formal Sister City agreement and witness the unveiling of a project thats been in the works for over a year.

Walk through Uptown and youll see the beginnings of that project. Just to the north of the Rivers Edge Apartments, workers are prepping a 30-foot circle to be transformed into The Ansbach Platz. The centerpiece of the platz is a new sculpture called Two Cities Connected.

The sculpture features a split globe, with one side representing Ansbach and the other representing Bay City. The two sides will be connected by a bridge, with one side of the bridge representing the Liberty Bridge and the other end mirroring a major bridge in Ansbach, "Fugngerbrcke am Brckencenter." The exterior of each side of the globe will include countries from eachs hemisphere constructed from copper.

The Bay Area Chamber of Commerces Leadership Bay County (LBC) class of 2022 raised the money to design and build the sculpture. The class also facilitated and managed the project.

A group of Bay City Public School students joined the tour earlier this summer. (Photo courtesy of Bay City government)The class worked with the Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center to finalize the design and marketing of the project.

Assistant Principal Kathy Dardas says students and staff from five programs were heavily involved: Engineering/Drafting, Graphics, Marketing, Precision Machining, and Welding.

The students were divided into two groups to propose designs to the LBC group. The students presented ideas, and one design was ultimately finalized using elements from each. Students also remained involved, participating in some of the Zoom calls with the fabrication company, ZENTX.

I'm excited about the involvement that our Career Center students have had on the Ansbach Platz project, Dardas says. In working withleaders, in government, education and our community, they have grown in their skills and made an impact.

One of her goals for the students was for them to understand the importance of community involvement. This goal was certainly met.

She shared a quote from Elise Gourd, a student in the Engineering & Drafting program, describing this project as one of her proudest accomplishments.

Beyond the growth Ive personally made over the duration of this project, I have also taken great pride in being involved in this monumental part of our community, Gourd told Dardas. Celebrating this historic partnership with Ansbach, Germany couldnt be done in a better way, and Im overjoyed with how far weve come as a community to bring this to life.

While the design was a group effort, that pales in comparison to the community effort behind the funding of the monument.

When the LBC class initially estimated the project budget of $100,000, they were concerned that they wouldnt be able to raise the full amount. Brad Tahash, who is in the LBC class, says the number was a little fear-inducing.

'I'm excited about the involvement that our Career Center students have had on the Ansbach Platz project. In working withleaders, in government, education and our community, they have grown in their skills and made an impact.'- Kathy Dardas, Bay-Arenac Career Center Assistant Principal

Companies and individuals alike supported the program, which received a matching donation from Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MDEC).

Following the theme of the rest of the project, the sculptures fabrication and placement has been a group effort.

Brennen Gohr, another LBC class member, is working with fabrication and installation teams to coordinate the statues placement. ZENTX has begun constructing the pieces of the sculpture and several community businesses are helping with the project.

Folks at Bierlein, Spence Brothers, and Clements Electric are offering their services as low cost as possible to support the project. Jerry Somalski from Bay Landscaping has been instrumental in making recommendations for the structural integrity of the circle.

The teams await a written easement to be granted by Consumers Energy, the true owner of the land on which Ansbach Platz will sit. Once that is in hand, installation will begin.

All signs point to the installations conclusion by the end of August.Once thats complete, the priority becomes keeping the relationship between the two cities strong.

The Ansbach Platz was designed to withstand Michigan climate with minimal upkeep, so the monument has what it needs to last.

Events are planned to keep Ansbach visible in Bay City.

The Career Center students and staff are organizing a 5K race on Sun., Sept. 18 at 9 a.m. to raise money for the DANK clubs endowment fund. This fund will help maintain the plaza for years. The hope is to raise $5,000 to receive a $5,000 matching grant from the Bay Area Community Foundation.

Muscotts team also is prioritizing the relationship.

People change in government; we come, and we go. We need to continue to push that we have this relationship with a city on the other side of the pond and we can talk with them about how they run their government. We can bring some of their best practices back here and we can do the same for them. So, I see the relationship as very important going forward and I hope it continues with people in our seats in the future, Muscott says.

See the article here:
Two nations, one family: Bay City celebrates a 60-year partnership with its sister city in Germany - Second Wave Media

These extreme weather cycles will test the fortitude of the hardiest New Englanders and likely require changes to their lifestyles.

In the last three years, weve had two major droughts and then the wettest growing season on record in the last 30 years, said Trevor Hardy, a seventh-generation fruit and vegetable farmer with a farm in Hollis, N.H. Were talking about complete opposites.

The projected swings between wet and dry periods may seem counterintuitive, especially with scientists predicting that, on the whole, New England is trending wetter as a result of climate change. But Young said the intensified climate variability is a consequence of a warming planet: Higher temperatures allow the atmosphere to pull more water out of the ground and hold it for longer, resulting in periods of drought. Because a warmer atmosphere can hold more water, when atmospheric conditions call for it, the rainfall is much heavier. The warming atmosphere will at times pull more water from the earth for extended periods, while at other times it will release more water.

While the bone-dry fire-prone West captures the headlines, all or large portions of the New England states are experiencing drought conditions.

And it came on fast: Three months ago, only about 15 percent of the Northeast had drought conditions. Unlike in the West, where droughts can span years, the Northeast usually experiences short dry periods of a few months.

Kearney Kirby, 71, went on vacation for a month and came home expecting her small lawn in Dorchester to be overgrown. Instead, it was half-dead, with the exception of weeds. Her little 13-year-old chihuahua mix, Sophie, sometimes struggles to navigate the spiky dead grass. Kirby finds the lawn disconcerting.

It freaks me out a little, she said. When I walk across, it crunches.

The most severe drought conditions are concentrated in eastern Massachusetts, eastern Connecticut, and almost all of Rhode Island that have been designated by the US Drought Monitor as experiencing a D3 extreme drought, the second-highest classification on the agencys scale. The data, released Thursday morning, do not capture the recent rainfall. But the rain, while welcome, will not be enough to alleviate drought conditions in many areas.

The rain parts of the Northeast received [Wednesday] is the proverbial drop in an empty bucket, said Michael Rawlins, the associate director of the University of Massachusetts Amhersts Climate System Research Center. Given the existing rainfall deficit, well need normal, ideally above normal precipitation, for several weeks or a few months to alleviate the current drought.

Massachusetts has its own classification system, with much of the state currently in a Level 3 critical drought. The conditions have led to increased fire risk across the state, and Governor Charlie Baker activated the National Guard on Thursday to battle a wildfire in Rockport that has been burning for about a month.

Gloucester Assistant Fire Chief Robert Rivas said he cant remember the last time hes seen a Level 3 drought in his time as a firefighter. He grew up in San Diego, Calif., and his mother lost her home in Paradise, Calif., to the 2018 Camp Fire. Rivas worries about Massachusetts fire risk.

Anything that lights up is going to take off because its so dry, he said.

Gloucester battled a brush fire that broke out at the start of August and grew to about 20 acres. Over two days, a National Guard helicopter dropped 600 gallons of water at a time about 80 times, Rivas said.

Municipalities across the region have either mandated water restrictions or urged residents to limit their use. Rhode Island issued a drought advisory last week, and around 150 cities and towns in Massachusetts have implemented mandatory water restrictions.

In Westwood, the Dedham-Westwood Water District upgraded its restrictions in early August to broadly prohibit outside lawn watering. Though golf course greens were exempt from the restriction, Chad Brown, superintendent of the Norfolk Golf Club, still hustled to conserve water, having spent about $20,000 to truck in water after the clubs storage pond ran drastically low. He sends his staff out with hoses to water the greens, tees, and fairways with more precision than could be achieved with sprinklers.

Weve gotten dinged up on the edges, he said. Weve definitely taken our licks this season, but overall, the fairways are hanging in there.

In addition to financial and ecological consequences, drought can take a toll on health. Aaron Bernstein, a pediatrician at Boston Childrens Hospital and the interim director of Harvard Chans Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment, said his biggest concern right now is the safety of well water.

About a half-million people in Massachusetts and many more elsewhere in New England rely on private wells, Bernstein said, and as water levels drop, toxic pollutants and pathogens that can make their way into groundwater become more concentrated.

Bernstein said hes also worried about the effect on the health of farmers, especially the stress from worrying about crops and livestock. Researchers have observed increased rates of suicide in farming communities during severe drought, and the financial burden can affect farmers access to health care.

We are not the West, and in some ways, that makes us complacent, Bernstein said. We dont have the mindset that water is precious and that we should design water systems to conserve what we have.

Hardy, the seventh-generation farmer, agreed. Hes the president of the New England Vegetable & Berry Growers Association and said farmers need to be able to handle extremes in precipitation, such as by switching from overhead to drip irrigation and installing soil moisture sensors.

If youre not preparing yourself to be a farmer for the future, its going to be harder for you to produce a crop, he said.

Ed Hennessey, who owns Hennessey Brothers in Machias, Maine, said he wants to expand irrigation on his 700-acre blueberry farm. But its expensive for smaller farmers, even if it pays off in the end.

His farm started the harvest a week earlier this year, and the blueberries, especially those picked later in the summer, were smaller, though they are still sweet. Blueberries are mostly water, he said, and larger farms, such as Wymans, have plump fruit thanks to irrigation.

His three sons now run the farm. If they continue to install irrigation and improve the land, I think the land will give them a good future, he said.

But buying water costs money, and the drought has also hurt hay and grain yields for farmers, driving up the costs of raising and feeding livestock.

Mark Duffy, who operates Great Brook Farm in Carlisle, said this is the worst drought hes seen since getting into the farming business nearly five decades ago.

Duffy, a dairy farmer, is trucking in feed from Vermont, New York, and Canada to keep his herd of over 100 cows healthy since his fields havent produced enough. The cows are fine, but Duffys bottom line is not: Each cow requires 120 pounds of hay and grain a day. He is not sure what the coming years will bring.

Whats the future going to be? he asked. Drought after drought?

Kate Selig can be reached at kate.selig@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @kate_selig.

Read the original here:
Whats the future going to be?: This summers drought warns of increasing climate variability in years to come - The Boston Globe

Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text size

In 1986 as Chinese artists bopped along to music at parties with Australian diplomat Geoff Raby, relations between the nations seemed in pretty good shape.

The 1980s were totally bohemian, there were parties, lots of warm beer. Little cassettes playing rock music. Diplomats and a few business people were really the first to internationalise Chinese contemporary art, he recalls. An ebullient figure, Raby fondly remembers befriending artists now fixed in time in photos of long lunches. Beijings artists were spreading their wings as the one-party state appeared to allow it.

Raby first went to China as an economist with the Australian embassy and returned in 2007 as ambassador. He acknowledges that in both spells he experienced a China more open to the West, with riches flowing on the back of increased global trade.

From 1979 you have a liberalisation period and Deng Xiaoping. It created a sense of optimism and hope. In that moment you had artists, many trained to a very high technical level, learning about western art and they had access to art books for the very first time. Their enthusiasm electrified anyone like me who was interested.

Collecting art became his passion, part of the bridge-building we often call soft power, where culture tries to succeed where force fails. How he championed contemporary, often politically charged work, without offending his hosts is a story of diplomatic tact, enthusiasm and good timing, as China opened itself to the world.

Detail from Portrait of Geoff Raby, 2014, ink on xuan paper, by Chen Wenling.Credit: Chen Wenling

Over 35 years, Raby collected close to 200 works paintings, sculpture, photography, installation, printmaking and calligraphy. He recently gave the collection to his alma mater La Trobe University and the collection will be displayed for the first time at Bendigo Art Gallery, in tandem with an exhibition drawn from the citys Golden Dragon Museum.

In Australia and around the world, artists such as Guan Wei and Ai Weiwei are now well known and represented by major global galleries; but contemporary art that was not propaganda for a one-party state needed early advocates. Raby is regarded as one of those early champions alongside trailblazing galleries such as Red Gate.

Through long-term friendships with Chinese artists, some of whom moved to Australia, hes credited with increasing the wider recognition of their work.

Raby argues that instead of playing it safe, it is precisely because of their role, and their means that diplomats recognise cultural treasures and create collections. In 1986 when I first went to Beijing the artists werent allowed to exhibit anywhere because they werent part of the academy and they had to find makeshift ways of exhibiting. We used to give our diplomatic apartments in the compound over to the artists to hang their work for a weekend.

Guan Weis Water View No.15 from Rabys collection.

At that time every single Chinese person who came would have to be escorted into the apartment and have their names recorded. I felt like I was living in the 1890s in France when the impressionists were outside the academy. From that moment on I realised the huge changes going on in China were reflected in cultural fields, including visual arts.

Author Nicholas Jose, a former cultural counsellor at the Australian embassy, said Raby introduced visiting Australians to Chinas contemporary art to show the possibility of richer, more dynamic interactions across cultures.

In Melbourne to oversee the selection of works for display, Raby laments the rising tensions between Australia and China under Xi Jinping, and the absence of those interactions. Still an opinionated commentator after leaving diplomacy, hes written: We have not been able to exert influence in a region in which we most aspire to do so.

Hes critical of both the past and present prime minister for not mending the relationship. He says he has more confidence in the Foreign Minister Penny Wong, describing her as considered and calm, avoiding exaggerated rhetoric.

Australians are losing the opportunity to learn more about the Chinese people, beyond the Communist regime, he says. One of the most important things is culture. We can blow apart all the stereotypes about each other.

There are few more heated debates in Australia than our past, present and future with China and the United States, and Raby dives in by saying hes been called a panda-hugger soft on China. Yet some of his satirical artworks have poked the panda hard.

The Year of the Pig, 2007, oil on canvas by Li Dapeng.Credit: Li Dapeng

Li Dapengs art work of the pig in the spacesuit waving at the viewer is really political, he acknowledges. Pigs are a symbol in China of being happy, greedy and stupid. What its doing is making fun of prestige projects like the space program. So I think this artist was brave.

I used to have it in my residence and the Chinese would visit and were totally perplexed at the ambassador having a pig in a spacesuit on the wall. Chinese communists had no irony.

Another significant work in his collection is the chilling photographic self-portrait Dialogue. The artist Xiao Lu points a gun towards the viewer. It references a notorious event in 1989 when the artist walked into a Beijing art gallery and fired a gun with live bullets at her own installation. The act was interpreted as political and read as the first shot of Tiananmen Square. A loss of innocence for a country that had been glimpsing looser state controls.

The shot shut down the exhibition, the artist was detained and later sought refuge in Sydney. Yet liberalisation waxes and wanes. By 2010, her memoir was launched at the Australian Embassy in Beijing by Raby.

His own memory of Tiananmen Square, witnessed from a balcony, remains sharp. You could see the sky lighting up and armoured cars speeding past. The next day there was a systematic attempt to terrorise the population of Beijing with trucks going in just shooting constantly and no one knew what was going on, there was no information. In retrospect there was maybe three to four days of deliberate actions to scare foreigners out of Beijing and to terrorise the population, and it all worked for the government.

Artist Xiao Lus 2004 work Dialogue. Credit: Xiao Lu

Perhaps hes a diplomat to the core, as he doesnt speak emotively about the crackdown or his reaction at the time. I am intellectually fascinated and intrigued by China but I dont love it. I think the people are wonderful but China is a one-party authoritarian state and this is what one-party authoritarian states do.

I am unfairly condemned in the media often as being a panda-hugger but if you look at anything Ive written I never miss an opportunity to remind people its a one-party state with a terrible human rights record.

He says diplomats have to make our points how we can. Western embassies in China try and advance human rights and political liberalisation, thats all part of our core agenda.

As history lurched on, in the new millennium China again welcomed visitors, hosting the Olympic Games and foreign journalists, including Australians. Exiled artists were returning to Beijing. Raby returned as ambassador in 2007.

I had easy days, the relationship was in great shape, Raby says of his later years in China, while prime ministers Howard, Rudd and Gillard were in office. The whole contemporary art scene was exploding in the 2000s. Everyone was excited about it, it was the hottest thing around internationally.

Loading

Raby makes it clear his collection is a highly personal selection, spanning key shifts such as the Chinese avant-garde, cynical realism, pop and socialism, surrealism and fantasy all created while Chinas dramatic changes inevitably influenced the arts. Artists not only ventured dissident ideas, but also took aim at consumerism and rapid development during Chinas astonishingly fast urbanisation.

Yet censorship was never going to disappear. In a foreword to Damian Smiths book about the Raby collection, Spains former ambassador to Beijing, Manuel Valencia, writes: Irony, hidden messages and sense of humour were heavily needed to avoid the implacable censorship of the Ministry of Culture and Propaganda.

The wit of disguised meanings clearly appeals to Raby, as does a sizeable collection of erotica, including Ling Jians irreverent The Birth of Venus. A naked woman stands upon a lily pond, a Cultural Revolution armband around each arm, and urinates into paradise. Its his take on Botticellis Venus, says Raby. Its quite outrageous but its so beautifully executed.

In Our Time: Four decades of art from China and beyond the Geoff Raby Collection and Treasures of Dai Gum San: Chinese artistry from the Golden Dragon Museum are at the Bendigo Art Gallery until February 19, 2023.

A cultural guide to going out and loving your city. Sign up to our Culture Fix newsletter here.

Original post:
A pig in a spacesuit? How Geoff Raby amassed a $2 million Chinese art collection - Sydney Morning Herald