Landmark wall

Thirty-five years of work in the fields of education and conservation has demonstrated to the CEI that significant problems in environmental management can come from cultural and ideological differences and can have roots in discrimination between cultures.

The CEI believes that although we are all one people, the strength of the human race comes from the diversity of our cultures.

Successful improvement in our abilities to solve local environmental problems may hinge upon the realization that our local environmental concerns are not unique, but are concerns familiar to peoples of many nations and cultures.  From how to live with a water shortage (Lanzarote, Canary islands…how to grow grapes with no rainfall).

To saving money on gas!

Other peoples from other cultures have also considered and may have developed methodologies which, combined with our western approach to problem solving, can achieve environmental literacy and practical goals in environmental sustainability. 

Education towards environmental literacy and global citizenship leads to a greater respect and appreciation of cultural diversity and history while encouraging the knowledgeable appreciation of wilderness.

Few people are aware of Calgary’s unique position in the heart 7,000 year old gallery of Alberta’s only representations of rock art, this program will remedy that. Calgary is a growing city, its people coming from a vast variety of ethnicities and culture, the downside of this rich cultural mosaic can be an increased possibility of misunderstanding.

The Landmark wall program will vividly illustrate a worldwide unity of artistic perception. The scientific aspect of this project will enhance Calgarian’s appreciation and understanding of our incomparable wilderness heritage.    In our rapidly changing environment it is as essential to work within a framework that encourages the preservation of cultural heritage and conservation of biological diversity.

The CEI is confident that through the Landmark Wall program we will bring a positive program of art, culture, environment and direct involvement of children and youth to the public encouraging new thinking, raising respect and awareness for diversity. This program will promote unification while understanding diversification and contribute towards environmental literacy and the concept of global citizenship

We will do this in the following ways

• Through Art: The early cultures of the world are astonishingly similar in their artistic documentation of their surroundings.  CEI staff traveled extensively to Europe, Turkey, South East Asia and Australia and documented the similarities in these ancient art forms. Pictures webstuff; drummer tromsoe drummer grassilk Building upon an existing initiative, the Landmark Wall (a 300 ft. by 8 ft. high cement-faced wall) we will construct a suitable replica surface (cement) to take weatherproof illustrations of globally occurring rock art.

We will undertake literature search and obtain permissions (if needed) for the rock art replicas and develop a cultural framework for the 2,400 sq. ft. exhibit.

   From Morocco to Australia, and all places in between, the common denominators of rock art are hand prints. Our unique artwork will incorporate the handprints of local children and adults encouraging inclusiveness and understanding.

Artistic representations of rock art from around the world illustrate that, although world cultures are diverse, a strong vein of unified perception is common to all, this supports and encourages cross-cultural learning and the concept of global citizenship.

Our unique project’s focus on the cultural significance of Alberta’s pre-history and it’s parallels in rock art, world wide, will, while celebrating cultural diversity underline and actively demonstrate our cultural similarities.

• Through Education

Pictures webstuff: img 8004, elkcut One of the two major features of our new Educational and scientific program which will create artistic representations of rock paintings and petroglyfs celebrating and raising awareness of the unique pre-history of Calgary and Alberta.

This enormous work of art will be documented on the CEI’s website as an integral part of the CEI’s classroom and field site schools program, also enhancing the CEI’s life-long learning projects.

• Through participation

This Landmark Wall is a unique project and, when finished, will be will be an “everyman” work of art. Because volunteers will have constructed the wall, participated in producing the rock art replicas on it, and its construction has been made possible through partial funding from the Mclean Foundation, in-kind donations from Tim’s Reusables, Spray Lakes, and LaFarge…and hard work from our volunteers!

Although we still need more funding…..You can help by donating funds towards this program, if you would like to! CanadaHelps, or by cheque.

North America

Live

Europe

 

This landmark wall will provide a fluid link between Alberta’s pre-history of rock art and world prehistory, while also incorporating children, youth and family’s hand prints and the interactive environmental exhibits.  The striking similarities between all the rock art of the world will be the basis from which we build the links to cultural and environmental understanding and collaborative problem solving.

THE LANDMARK Wall project, once completed, will permit participants to view undisturbed and unconfined game and non game species in a natural setting thus enabling them to learn wildlife identification and behaviour.

Portals built within the wall will enable participants to safely view game and non game species, while the animals remain unaware of observation (essentially the wall serves as a giant Blind).

IS THERE DUPLICATION BY ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION?

No other organization in Canada has an existing structure (a 400m long by 2.5 m high strawbale construction wall encircling the CEI’s Interpretive Centre) set within 140 protected acres of native montane habitat and containing both indigenous species (moose, elk, bison, deer,) and also the only captive colony in Canada of the Endangered swift fox.

Therefore, the CEI is the only organization capable of undertaking this project.