John Dahlsen Exhibitions & Public Artwork in the USA

John’s work forms part of the Exhibition in 2016 titled ‘Scrounged’ – Art constructed from recycled, repurposed materials. Republic Plaza 370 17th St Denver Colorado USA. March 23 – May 19 2016. This exhibition is held in celebration of Earth Day.

John Dahlsen was invited to curate and exhibit in the exhibition ‘Recycled Revisited- Artistic Responses to the Earth Charter at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art NY Exhibition from Friday 1 st July to Sunday September 18th 2005 (STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK NEW PALTZ)

Australian based artist, John Dahlsen was invited to both curate and participate as an exhibiting artist in an exhibition titled: ‘Recycled Revisited’ – Artistic Responses to the Earth Charter, at the The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art in New York State. He joins Dr. Alice Wexler from the State University of New York, in curating the exhibition, which is an acknowledgement to the principals of the Earth Charter.

The twelve artists selected by Dahlsen and Dr. Wexler in this exhibition, weaved together environmental, social, and political concerns, to which all must be attended for a sustainable future. By employing a variety of media that ranged from plastic bags, shoes, rocks, and bones, to more traditional materials, they challenged the concept of the artist as removed from society in favour of the artist as responsive and responsible to society. Through issue-oriented, challenging works, the artists inspired an appreciation for the fragility of the social and natural environments and a sense of global interdependence.

The Exhibition and The Earth Charter:

The exhibition was based on the Earth Charter, a declaration of the fundamental principles for building a just society with a special emphasis of the world’s environmental challenges. The document’s vision recognizes that environmental protection, human rights, equitable human development, and peace are interdependent and indivisible.

In 1987 the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development issued a call for creation of a new charter that would set forth fundamental principles for sustainable development. The drafting of an Earth Charter was part of the unfinished business of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. In 1994 Maurice Strong, the secretary general of the Earth Summit and chairman of the Earth Council, and Mikhail Gorbachev, president of Green Cross International, launched a new Earth Charter initiative with support from the Dutch government. An Earth Charter Commission was formed in 1997 to oversee the project and an Earth Charter Secretariat was established at the Earth Council in Costa Rica.

“The Earth Charter opens a new phase not only in the ecological movement, but also in the world’s public life.”   – Mikail Gorbachev, Earth Charter Commission Co-chair.

” The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. It seeks to inspire in all peoples a new sense of globaerdependence and shared responsibility for the well being of the human family and the larger living world. It is an expression of hope and a call to help create a global partnership at a critical juncture in history.”

The principles of the Earth Charter reflect extensive international consultations conducted over a period of many years. These principles are also based upon contemporary science, international law, and the insights of philosophy and religion. Successive drafts of the Earth Charter were circulated around the world for comments and debate by non-governmental organizations, community groups, professional societies, and international experts in many fields.

Based in Byron Bay, John has over the years, scoured the beaches on our Eastern Seaboard for washed up ” ocean litter…a worldwide phenomena affecting beaches on a global level.” His work develops underlying environmental messages inherent in the use of this kind of medium and includes artworks as diverse as assemblages, sculptures, installations, prints and paintings.

Dahlsen delivered a lecture at the Dorsky Museum in the closing days of his ‘Recycled Revisited’ exhibition in September.

Artist in Residence – Jefferson City, Missouri USA

Artist in Residence

In September 2005, John Dahlsen was the artist in residence as a guest of Jefferson City in Missouri USA. Here he made a series of installations forming a public artwork, made from recycled plastic bags, which were donated by the people of Jefferson City.

This series of works were exhibited as part of the Art In The Park Exhibition run by Atelier CMS inc. from Jefferson City.

At the opening ceremony, which was attended by Bob and Lori Hauser Holden, Governor and first Lady State of Missouri 2001 – 2005, and Senator Carl M Vogel, along with the other exhibiting artists and other distinguished guests, Dahlsen delivered a speech, addressing the importance of public art in the built environment and the need for a percentage of public spending on government buildings to be earmarked for public artworks.

Dahlsen then went on to donate his series of sculptural installations to Jefferson City for their contemporary art collection, which he said would hopefully be housed soon, in a purpose built contemporary art space, which he noted Jefferson City urgently needed.