Posted on July, 04 2007
Un Árbol (One Tree) Bolivia successfully came to a close after the art work was exhibited and sold during the 2007 Expoforest, generating US$ 1,669, kindly donated by the participating artists and those who bought the pieces.
Un Árbol (One Tree) Bolivia successfully came to a close after the art work was exhibited and sold during the 2007 Expoforest, generating US$ 1,669, kindly donated by the participating artists and those who bought the pieces.
On June 28th, during the board meeting of the Bolivian Red Cross in Santa Cruz, WWF, on behalf of the artists and buyers, donated this money. The Red Cross, under its humanitarian aid programme, will use this donation to help the local population in the Obispo Santiestevan Province (Northern Santa Cruz) affected earlier in the year by 'El Niño' and the subsequent flooding caused by this phenomenon. Specifically, the funds will be used to buy food and hygiene kits.
The “Un Árbol Bolivia” awareness campaign took place between December 2005 and April 2007 and consisted in the felling and cutting into pieces of a Cariniana estrellensis tree, and its subsequent transformation into 210 pieces of art by 62 national artists.
This WWF Bolivia campaign, integrating culture, art and the wood industry in favor of forest conservation, focused on raising the general population’s awareness and emphasizing how our buying decisions can contribute to conservation when we request, as consumers, that wood products come from forests under management and / or FSC certification.
The impressive 30 m high Cariniana estrellensis tree was also able to commit the participation of artists and the general public during the I International Sculptors’ Workshop held last October and from there went on to produce 210 beautiful pieces of art for the 2007 Expoforest.
Also, in September, WWF will publish the Un Árbol Bolivia book, which will systematize this experience as well as depict each piece of art in an impressive format. This publication is possible due to the generous support offered by the Rural Electrification Cooperative (CRE) and Mercantil Santa Cruz Bank. A number of the books will be donated to Manzana 1 Art Space, and the funds raised from its sale will go to help organize the II International Certified Wood Sculptors’ Workshop in 2008.
