The 2022 Exhibit Columbus Symposium will kick off on October 21 with tours and talks from keynote speakers and the four recipients of the Miller Prize.
“Of course [the Living Desert] had concerns, which I respected,” Chicago told Artnet News in an email. “We spent a considerable amount of time discussing how to bring my work to that landscape without disturbing the wildlife or damaging the environment.”
Last month, when she learned of Chicago’s plans, Japenga sent a letter to the artist, the Living Desert, and Sabby Jonathan, a former Palm Desert mayor and current councilman, among others. (Johnathan previously voted against the city’s sponsorship of the exhibition, according to the
Japenga suggested that the piece was unsafe and should be relocated to a more appropriate venue. She included quotes from two local wildlife biologists she consulted, who had raised concerns about possible animal safety issues, including 11 bighorn lambs recently born in the area.
Rendering for Living Smoke: A Tribute to the Living Desert by Desert X 2021 artist Judy Chicago Courtesy of the artist and Desert X
Judy Chicago s planned “smoke sculpture” for this year s Desert X festival (12 March-16 May) in the Coachella Valley of California has hit a major snag. The Living Desert, a combination zoo and botanical garden laid out over 1,200 acres in Palm Desert, has backed out of hosting the performance on 9 April, following concerns from an environmental activist.
According to Chicago, based on a series of meetings with the venue, environmental precautions were already in place, such as locating the event 1½ miles away from animal habitats and using an electronic ignition to set off the coloured, nontoxic smoke, rather than hand ignition which would have been noisier. In person attendees would also have been limited, with most people watching the event online. And for the artist, this body of work, part of her
Smoky Artwork by Judy Chicago at Desert Zoo Is Canceled
“Living Smoke” was scheduled for April but the California venue withdrew after an activist said the colorful smoke display could harm the environment.
Judy Chicago’s plan to create an atmospheric artwork at the 1,200-acre Living Desert Zoo and Gardens was scrapped after an environmental activist raised questions about its effect on sheep and other animals.Credit.Donald Woodman/Artist Rights Society
Published Feb. 27, 2021Updated March 12, 2021
Two years ago, the arts organization Desert X in Palm Springs, Calif., canceled a Jenny Holzer light projection to be shown on a local mountainside during its biennial exhibition for fear of endangering bighorn sheep that roamed there.