We don't just create art-
we spark action.
At Artists With Ecology (AWE), we merge art, science, design, and direct action to reconnect people with the ecosystems that sustain us. Our projects aren’t about decoration—they’re about regeneration: restoring land, honoring Indigenous knowledge, mentoring youth, and creating living works of public art that heal both people and place. Rooted in creativity, guided by community, and powered by the belief that art saves life, we’re building a future where beauty is activism and connection is survival.
AWE Shines at Olympia Arts Walk
On October 3rd and 4th, AWE brought creativity and community spirit to downtown Olympia during the city’s beloved Fall Arts Walk. We were honored to receive the Arts Walk Innovation Award, showcased an inspiring mural exposition at the Olympia Center, and featured live mural painting throughout the downtown area. Thank you, Olympia, for your incredible support!
Support the Arts
AWE is backed by Inspire Olympia!
We gratefully acknowledge Inspire Olympia and the citizens of Olympia for their generous support of our work. Inspire Olympia was made possible by a voter-approved funding initiative in 2022, designed to expand access to arts, culture, and heritage in our community. Thanks to this visionary public investment, local artists working at the intersection of creativity and ecology are empowered to engage the public, raise environmental awareness, and imagine a more sustainable future.
Stay Connected with AWE
Be the first to hear about upcoming events, public art projects, artist opportunities, and community collaborations. Sign up for the AWE newsletter and get inspired—delivered straight to your inbox.
AWE Latest News
Honoring a Legendary Man: Chief Leschi in Bronze
The very first project that helped spark the vision for Artists With Ecology (AWE) was a powerful act of remembrance. Local multi-media artist Christopher Gerber was provided funding to create a bronze sculpture honoring Chief
Another Grant supporting AWE!
We are excited to share that we are a recipient of a Community Accelerator Grant funded by https://www.facebook.com/AllenPhilanthropies/ Allen Family Philanthropies and awarded by https://www.facebook.com/ArtsFundSeattle/ ArtsFund! This gift will accelerate our organization’s efforts in developing
Mural Announcement!
This September Artists With Ecology, powered by Shunpike, with a matching funds grant from the Inspire Olympia Community Impact Grant, is beginning a new mural with artist Andra Wilbur-Sigo. Infinite Relations – a 60 foot
AWE Receives Arts Walk Innovation Award!
We are honored to announce that A Sense of AWE: Human Nature – Mural Exposition has been recognized with an Arts Walk Innovation Award from the City of Olympia. The Purpose of the AwardThe Arts
Mural Exposition at Arts Walk
AWE is excited to be a part of Olympia Arts walk …. A Sense of AWE: Human Nature – Mural Exposition Dates: October 3–4, 2025Location: 222 Columbia ~ Room 103 (Olympia Center) Experience art in
Noisy Waters Mural Festival was a Blast of Art (not just water)!
What a great opportunity to participate by volunteering to help Paper Whale to set up the Noisy Waters Festival in Bellingham, Washington this past weekend. The Lummi word Xwot’qom (similar to Whatcom) ~ translates to
AWE Welcomes New Staff 2025
Meet Marie Poland – Director of Community Engagement & Development
We’re thrilled to welcome Marie Poland (she/her) to the Artists With Ecology (AWE) team! As the founder of Heartfire Renaissance, Marie is deeply committed to fostering connection—between people, with their communities, and with the natural world. She inspires others to recognize their purpose, engage in meaningful action, and contribute to the health of our planet. In her role leading outreach, fundraising, and grant writing, Marie will help AWE grow its impact, build strong partnerships, and empower individuals to take inspired action in service of ecological and community projects. Welcome, Marie!
AWE's Ongoing Projects
Support Us with Your Donations
Ecovention Revolutionaries
McGill and Roloff, Isla de Umunnum
Isla de Umunnum (Island of the Hummingbirds) is an environmental art work, designed and built by Heather McGill and John Roloff for the California Arts Commission’s Art in Public Buildings Program.[Read Full Article] A land reclamation project creating a native habitat and sanctuary for hummingbirds, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss
Mel Chin, Revival Field
Revival Field began as a conceptual artwork with the intent to sculpt a site’s ecology. 1993 marked a successful conclusion to the first phase of this collaborative effort. The initial experiment, located at Pig’s Eye Landfill, a State Superfund site in St. Paul, Minnesota, was a replicated field test using special
Transforming Polluted Spaces Through Reclamation Art
Reclamation art, also called “ecovention,” is the art of rehabilitating polluted spaces or abandoned industrial areas. It is often associated with land art, however, the works of this movement offer ecological rehabilitation and also help foster the connection between people and their natural environment. -Artsper Magazine, 10 Feb 2021 [Read
Patricia Johanson, Reimagining Infrastructure
Municipal flood basin for Dallas’s “Fair Park Lagoon” by Patricia Johanson, 1981 “Although the sculptural structures may look “aesthetic,” they are actually deployed to prevent shoreline erosion by breaking up wave action, simultaneously creating paths for people and microhabitats for fish, turtles, birds, and waterfowl. Water rises and falls with