Pinecrest Gardens
FIU School of Environment, Arts & Society
FIU College of Communications, Architecture + The Arts
FIU Libraries
and
FIU Digital Library of the Caribbean
cordially invite you to join us for
our monthly Florida is Nature Artist Talk
by
Xavier Cortada
with special guest
James W. Fourqurean
Professor, Department of Biological Sciences and Southeast Environmental Research Center
Director, Marine Education and Research Initiative for the Florida Keys
Principal Investigator, Aquarius Reef Base
School of the Environment, Arts and Society
Florida International University
on
Wednesday, February 14th, 2018
10:30 am
at
Hibiscus Gallery
Pinecrest Gardens
11000 S.W. 57th Avenue
Pinecrest, FL 33156
Talk is free with $5 admission to the Gardens.
After the talk, walk the garden and participate in “Florida is Nature.”
In the Seagrass Ecosystems Research Laboratory at Florida International University, we are engaged in basic and applied research into the structure and function of seagrass beds and the food webs that they support. At this web site you will find information on the biology and ecology of seagrasses, as well as information about current and past SERL research projects from both South Florida and around the world. At SERL, our goal is to conduct research and monitoring that will inform other scientists, stakeholders, and the public about seagrass ecosystems and the ecological services that they provide. As a part of FIU’s Institute for Water and the Environment, SERL scientists conduct work within the Southeast Environmental Research Center and the Marine Education and Research Center. At SERL, staff and graduate students also incorporate a strong teaching, training, and outreach component into our work. See http://seagrass.fiu.edu
Through Florida is Nature,” Pinecrest Gardens artist-in-residence Xavier Cortada portrays Florida’s environment to connect viewers with our state’s natural beauty. Come see the works on permanent display at the Hibiscus Gallery in Pinecrest Gardens.
You too can participate in “Florida is…”
Help others understand and appreciate Florida’s natural beauty. Upload an image of your favorite animal, plant or place to www.floridaisnature.com and tell us why we should all care for it and strive to protect it. We will share it on our website and social media. We will also ask you to help us spread the word and get others to see that “Florida is… Nature.”
Conceptualized during Xavier Cortada‘s residency at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Artist Residency in Captiva, Florida, “Florida is…” is an evolving body of work that depicts the natural beauty of Florida. It asks Floridians to define their state by its actual nature, not by things we do and build to displace it. Some “Florida is…” works hang as public art in public venues, admonishing viewers to find better ways to coexist with nature.
The project invites participants to capture and share their images and perspectives on the project’s online platform.
You can learn more about the artist by visiting www.cortada.com