Mentorship Showcase 2025: You’re Invited!

Join us March 28-30, 2025 for our annual virtual Mentorship Showcase. Everyone is invited!

Each year, our team at Creature Conserve is excited to celebrate our Mentees as they present art-driven solutions for some of the most pressing problems in wildlife conservation. Registration via Zoom is FREE at the link bellow.

On Friday, the first day of the Showcase, I will be joined by Mentorship Fellows Lauren Frausto, Natalie Field, and Lisa Schnell. Together we will introduce this year’s theme: “Reworlding.” On Saturday and Sunday, our Mentees will present their work. Their presentations will be organized into two panels per day, each followed by Q & A. The Saturday panels are “A Pollinating Planet” and “Parallel Ecologies.” The Sunday panels are “Soil Fiction” and “Assembling Our Natures.” Feel free to choose the panel that interests you the most!

Click here for a downloadable PDF of the full program. For more about Mentorship at Creature Conserve, visit our website.

This year’s Showcase promises to be full of inspiration. I hope to see you there.

Derek Russell - Mentorship Director

Things to be inspired by

Aurora Gómez Espinoza (Creature Conserve Scholarship Recipient 2024) recently sent this update about her project, “Dibujándonos en natura (Drawing ourselves in nature), a 3-day polyphonic workshop camp held in a protected natural area (Ecological National Park “El TECUÁN”) in the northeastern region of Mexico:
— — This project seeks to connect the creative community, environmental activism, the academic sector and public servants on the subject of art and conservation to create a stage for the voices of youth and capacity building in the participating youth in matters of loss, biodiversity, the CBD biodiversity agenda and the fair and equitable participation of youth in these spaces.

Photo by Aurora Gomez Espinoza of artwork created during a workshop at the National Youth Summit for Biodiversity, Mexico

Lee Lee Leonard was one of several participants in our first Master Class: Pangolin Trade; her final artwork is shown below. Congratulations to all who participated and created impactful artworks for pangolin conservation! The master class was created and curated by instructors Shiri Lev and Sofiya Shukhova in collaboration with Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, Pangolin Rescue Center Uganda and TRAFFIC.

Artwork by Lee Lee Leonard for Master Class: Pangolin Trade

Things to look forward to

Scholarships Open Next Month: “Apply April”

Explore the art and science of wildlife conservation with funding and support.

ABOUT CREATURE CONSERVE SCHOLARSHIPS: We provide scholarship stipends for artists, designers, writers, and experts with scientific and traditional knowledge to support their creative process, including making art informed by science that inspires conservation action. Funds can be spent on creative time, art supplies, logistical support, travel, and conference fees. The application includes the project title, goals, description, budget, timeline, and a list of collaborators/host entities.

Artwork Honeybee lifecycle by scholarship recipient Faith Williams

Sign up for Master Class: Writers Respond to the Science of Animal Migration

FEE: $300

DATE: Sundays, April 6 - May 11 (excluding Sunday, April 20.)

TIME: 4pm - 6pm ET

FORMAT: Five sessions, live (Zoom) and asynchronous

ATTENDANCE: Sessions can be attended live or asynchronously. Participation in live or asynchronous communication and feedback is required. A certificate of completion is available for those who successfully meet these requirements.

INSTRUCTORS: scientist Dr. Lucy Spelman, poet Christopher Kondrich, and writer Susan Tacent

ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP: Join writer Susan Tacent, poet Christopher Kondrich, and scientist Dr. Lucy Spelman to create new work or gain insight into revising existing work that is emotionally charged, solution-oriented, inspired, and informed by science, and relevant to the healthy existence of all animals—including humans. This five-part Master Class is generative. The instructors will offer participants a combination of science presentations, craft discussions, writing exercises, readings, and group critiques.

Sign up for Fundamentals Workshops - NEW! Asynchronous Learning

FEE: $10

DATE & TIME: Available Year-Round

FORMAT: Asynchronous; option for follow-up live session

PRESENTERS: Franco Zacha, Faith Williams, Sophy Tuttle, Lauren Frausto, Lucy Spelman, Susan Tacent, Heather McMordie, Jenn Houle.

ABOUT THESE WORKSHOPS: Each of the six Fundamentals Workshops includes a series of brief video recordings paired with a workshop guide. They are a great way to join our community. Presented by Creature Conserve Program Leaders and invited experts, and designed for you to complete at your own pace. We will also have quarterly live sessions to discuss these workshops and support the growth of your art-sci pathway for wildlife conservation. Join us!

Creature Needs book

Anything you want to share?

We would love to hear from you. You can reach us via email at the following:
connect@creatureconserve.com
media@creatureconserve.com

This newsletter is sent from the land of the First Peoples of Northeastern North America, including the Narragansett Nation.