Project Goals. The primary goals of “Monaro Runes” were to:
- use the power of beautifully painted and very detailed botanical art to raise awareness of and educate people about the extent and impact of the phenomenon known as eucalyptus dieback in the Monaro Region, and
- communicate the importance of plants for maintaining a healthy and robust environment
Outputs. The main output of this project was
- an exquisitely crafted work of botanical art in the form of three hand bound artist’s books. Book 1 - In the beginning (before dieback). Book 2 - Devastation (the impact of dieback). Book 3 - Regeneration (the efforts to rebuild the landscape)
Each book has 6 pages, with the work completed on Fabriano Artistico 300gsm hot pressed paper. The front and back covers are leather with a dieback timber insert. The three books were hand bound and presented in a handmade carry box. A short video was also produced.
Outreach. The outreach activities associated with this project were phenomenal – national television coverage, local newspapers and e-magazines, radio interviews, children’s workshops, an exhibition, talks to various groups. One common point of interest was that ASBA was funding this project in Australia!
A workshop observation. When we were talking about the purpose of an artist’s book and dieback, I asked the children to look out the window and to describe what they could see (the hills were covered in skeletonised trees). They commented on the trees with no leaves.