Photo: Illana Halperin

From Green Right Now Reports

More than 25 New Mexico art organizations and 60 artists will join together this summer to present LAND/ART, a collaboration of environmentally inspired art. This six-month project will examine relationships of land, art and community through exhibitions, site-specific art works, speakers, performances, tours, and excursions through multiple indoor and outdoor venues around the state.

Photo: Basia Irland

“Anitya” by Anne Cooper

The project, which is being coordinated by 516 Arts in Albuquerque, focuses on “environmental” or “land” art, and will address humans’ changing relationship to nature. Environmental issues are emphasized throughout LAND/ART as artists examine climate change, water shortage, endangered wildlife and other topics.

“There is a very strong interest in this type of artwork right now, as concerns about the environment are so much at the forefront of people’s minds,” Suzanne Sbarge, LAND/ART project coordinator, said in a statement. “Artists bring different perspectives to thinking about our relationships with nature and the environment.”

The LAND/ART Symposium Weekend June 27-28 in Albuquerque will kick off the six-month long collaboration. The event takes place in conjunction with the opening of the exhibition “Experimental Geography” at the Albuquerque Museum, which will run June 28-September 20. Created by 19 artist teams from six countries, including the United States, “Experimental Geography” will “explore the distinctions between geographical study and artistic experience of the earth, as well as the juncture where the two realms collide and possibly make a new field altogether,” organizers said.

Other opening weekend events include an excursion taking passengers to explore different New Mexico landscapes, poetry readings, a panel discussion about the evolution of land art, artist lectures and presentations.

Photo: Michael Berman

“Sierra El Capulin” by Michael Berman

Related links:

• See a complete listing of LAND/ART activities
• Download LAND/ART Guide to projects & programming

While the vast majority of Americans are car bound, rising numbers are getting on board with public transit, commuter and light rail, trolleys and buses.

Those riding the rails and buses took 10.7 billion trips on public transportation in 2008, a 4 percent increase over the number of trips taken in 2007, according to a ridership report by the American Public Transportation Association.

During the same period, the number of vehicle miles traveled on roadways declined by 3.6 percent, the group reported, citing the U.S. Department of Transportation.

While the road miles driven could simply reflect fewer people commuting to work combined with lower driving levels resulting from last summer’s soaring gas prices, the APTA sees the increase in ridership as a continuation of a longer term trend.

“Public transportation use is up 38% percent since 1995, a figure that is almost triple the growth rate of the population (14 percent) and up substantially over the growth rate for the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on our nation’s highways (21%) for that same period,” the association explained in a news statement released Monday.

In sheer numbers, the 2008 ridership was the greatest since 1956; though today’s higher population means the percentage of riders is still much less than it was at that time.

APTA president William W. Millar noted that those switching to public transit can save themselves more than $8,000 a year in gasoline and car maintenance costs, as well as helping lessen their carbon footprint.

“Now, more than ever, the value of public transportation is evident and the public has clearly demonstrated that they want and need more public transit services,” Millar said. “Public transportation is good for the economy, good for the environment and good for energy independence and now is the time for the federal government to increase its investment in public transportation.”

Light rail — which includes trolleys and modern street cars — saw the biggest percentage increases in ridership.

The city of Charlotte, with a light rail system that opened in late 2007, saw an 862 percent increase.

Charlotte was followed by New Orleans’ light rail system, still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, with an annual increase of 218 percent.