"Linda Weintraub creates the first thorough and illuminating study for rethinking the environmental impact of art practices, and the meaning of aesthetics, in relation to larger ecosystems. Through a carefully curated selection of international artists, she lays the foundation for a deeper analysis of the complexity and diversity of eco practices, linking these to other movements, past and present. The critical language is accessible and invaluable for understanding and analyzing the historical and conceptual underpinnings of ecologically based art works. All those interested in shaping the uncertain future will find To Life! a must-read."--Patricia Olynyk, Artist, Director, Graduate School of Art, Florence and Frank Bush Professor of Art, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, Washington University in St. Louis.
To Life! Eco Art in Pursuit of a Sustainable Planet documents the burgeoning eco art movement from A to Z, presenting a panorama of artistic responses to environmental concerns, from Ant Farm's anti-consumer antics in the 1970s to Marina Zurkow's 2007 animation that anticipates the havoc wreaked upon the planet by global warming. This text is the first international survey of twentieth and twenty-first-century artists who are transforming the global challenges facing humanity and the Earth's diverse living systems. Their pioneering explorations are situated at today's cultural, scientific, economic, spiritual, and ethical frontiers. The text guides students of art, design, environmental studies, and interdisciplinary studies to integrate environmental awareness, responsibility, and activism into their professional and personal lives.