In the words of the artist: “The work is a continuation of my interest in climate change and the kinds of changes we are going to have to consider in order to deal with some of its eventualities – perhaps an opportunity for some creativity in how we approach habitats and lifestyles. No more room for wastefulness, but what do we decide to keep and what to get rid of? The figures are now engaged in work of some sort: pulling, dragging, wrestling with materials in order to start the work of change.”

In “Self Portrait as Millennium Burial Mound,” Julie Heffernan depicts an “animal protest movement,” complete with placards and feral agitators. Through habitat destruction, hunting, pollution and the adverse impacts of climate change, humanity has had a profound effect on our fellow creatures and accelerated the loss of biodiversity on the planet. Some scientists argue that we have entered the Earth’s Sixth Mass Extinction based on the loss of a large number of species within a relatively short period of time. Learn more about mass extinctions in this PBS video.

In these works, Julie Heffernan creates ornate, multi-room structures that are a metaphor for our consciousness. This is a very fitting metaphor for our approach to environmental issues; our compartmentalized brains allow us to express concern for the environment while simultaneously making unsustainable choices on a daily basis. In some cases, the compartmentalized brain may even lead to beliefs that contradict overwhelming scientific evidence (e.g., climate denial). How are such contradictions possible in our logical brains? Learn more about the mind’s compartments in this article from Scientific American.

In the words of the artist: “[This body of] work is focused on making sense of the world around me after calamities such as Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. We are slowly making our world unlivable, and I want to bring to the surface the destructive action, waste, and contamination that is generally invisible to us. I need to imagine another way, to outfit myself with signs and banners that speak louder than I can, to envision how we might remake the world as it is slowly falling apart.”

“I have always been up for a good journey and that is what painting offers me. Like the game Chutes and Ladders, the basic thrust of which – flying down slides and plodding up pathways – I always loved as a kid, my work allows the eye to meander through spaces, across rivers, get lost in thickets, singed by forest fires, pass by warning signs and under control towers that speak, in smoke signals, to our great distress.”

Julie Heffernan’s work addresses our stewardship of the planet and its creatures. If you are inspired by her work, you can take action in your own life. Select one or more pledges listed below and spread the word.  You can also learn more by visiting our Pledge Center.  Let’s #EndOvershoot and save our #OneEarth.