Millbrook Hosts Firefly Environmental Arts Project Launch
The Firefly Environmental Arts Project, a digital platform designed to connect art and sustainability, successfully launched at Millbrook School on Friday. Around 75 people—including students and faculty from Millbrook and visiting schools, artists, and Firefly representatives—gathered for presentations from conservationists and an environmental art exhibit showcasing student and professional work.
Students and faculty from Marvelwood School in Kent, CT, opened the event with a presentation in the Chelsea Morrison Theater on their school’s long-running purple martin conservation project, which works to grow the dwindling population of the migratory birds. The presenters explained how the project creates purple martin nesting habitats and uses GPS tagging, color-coded banding, and cameras to track the birds’ migration patterns and determine how to best care for them.
Following the Marvelwood presentation, Sharon Audubon Center Director Dr. Eileen Fielding delivered the keynote address. Dr. Feilding spoke briefly on the history of the National Audubon Society, which “protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow,” according to the organization’s website. She explained the role art has played in conservation, using the vivid portrayals of North American birds by 19th century ornithologist John James Audubon, for whom her organization is named, as an example.
“I encourage the young artists that are exhibiting here tonight to think about what this might tell you,” she said. “…It is something worth thinking about, the role of art in inspiring conservation.”
Dr. Fielding also shared alarming information about the declining bird population in North America, fingering human activity and climate change as the causes. However, she also highlighted ways the situation can be reversed, such as joining local conservation communities and working to influence government policy. She quoted Millbrook alumnus and renowned ecologist Thomas Lovejoy ’59 as saying, “If you take care of birds, you take care of most of the environmental problems in the world.”
The participants then moved to the lower level of the Hamilton Math and Science Center to view the exhibited art and enjoy refreshments. The show featured student artwork from Millbrook and seven other area schools, and 15 professional artists, including alumni Trevor McWilliams ‘01. The exhibited paintings, drawings, sculptures, and photography shared a common naturalistic theme.
“My hope is that folks can start to see some connections between art and environmental activism,” said Millbrook Director of Stewardship & Sustainability Leigh Schmitt, who helped organize the event. “I think any press around that is positive.”
Here are lists of the student and professional artists who exhibited:
Student Artists
- Hotchkiss School – Sawyer Eaton, Nengi Esinte, Leon Li, Ethan Li-Choi, Irene Gone, Anya Reppa
- Housatonic Valley Regional High School – Elinor Wolgemuth
- Indian Mountain School – Macie Blue, Alice Li, Alex van Dyke
- Kent School – Niyah Ganchegui, Own Gawel, Morgan Johnson, Adrianna Malik, Logan McInnes, Harry Wan
- Marvelwood School – Vivien Adams, Own Brown, Delaney Giampaola, Noah Goodfriend, Noah Love, Nicah Tschosik
- Millbrook School – Max Amsterdam, Serena Cattani, Steven Chen, Jennifer Chi, Jaicee Downs, Nga Ho
- Salisbury School – EJ Bauer, Rachie Chen, Alexander Hicks, Zach Katz, Qiuhao Li, Nick Root, Simon Shi, Nasir Stevenson
- South Kent School – Javier L., Fuma M., Thomas P., Daniel R., Tomass R., Seerio S.
Professional Artists (curated by The Good Gallery)
- Sarah Blodgett
- Joy Brown
- Peter Corbin
- John Clery
- Peter Gerakaris
- Bob Lenz
- Danielle Mailer
- Trevor McWilliams
- Ellen Moon
- Bill Rice
- Heather Scofield
- Béla Selendy
- Peter Steiner
- Pam White
- Tom Yost
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