Internationally famous sea life artist Wyland brings his work to a wall in
La Paz to promote environmental efforts in the Sea of Cortez
By Anne McEnany
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Wyland is an internationally-recognized painter, sculptor,
and muralist who focuses his artistic talent on a wide variety of marine
life. Recognizing that the Sea of Cortez contains of 39% of the world’s
total number of marine mammal species, Wyland chose La Paz, Baja
California Sur for one of his last stops on the “Wyland Ocean Challenge”
Pacific Coast tour this summer – August 4-6, 2005.
Wyland has completed over 84 landmark murals – the
renowned Whaling Walls – in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, Mexico,
France and New Zealand. Worth more than his artistic contributions,
however, is Wyland’s commitment to ocean conservation, clean water, and
the protection of endangered marine species. The “Wyland Ocean Challenge”
combines artistic talent, environmental education activities, and
community-building events – all with the goal of engaging children in the
issues surrounding their communities related to clean water and ocean
protection.
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Event tee-shirts and hats were available, as well as
give-away prizes for participants. There were plenty of opportunities for
participation from observers and many pitched right in.
 On
August 4, community members and interested individuals had the chance to
meet Wyland at a reception/fundraiser for the Wyland Foundation and PROBEA,
the local organizer of the three-day event. The Rotary Club of Redondo
Beach sponsored the event at Bar Madera in La Paz. Wyland graciously
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It is particularly significant that Wyland painted a mural in La Paz,
which is close to Isla Espíritu Santo, Islotes, Isla Cerralvo, and Isla
San José. These islands form part of the Gulf of California Islands
National Park. The 244 islands, islets, and formations of the Sea of
Cortez were just declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2005. The
designation is 25% terrestrial and 75% marine, reflecting the importance
of the surrounding waters for fish, marine mammals, and migratory birds.
 Wyland’s
depiction of the marine life of the Sea of Cortez was celebrated in La
Paz with a three-day cultural and artistic event on the malecón near
Callejón Ignacio Bauelos Cabezud. Wyland began painting at 9:00am on
Thursday, August 4 and the dedication ceremony was at 6:00PM on Sunday,
August 7. In addition to the large 7x12-meter mural that Wyland painted
with local artists, festivities included an art fair, community mural
painted by students, water quality testing, and much more.
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agreed to donate a piece of artwork for a silent auction.
PROBEA is a bi-national program of the San Diego Natural History Museum
that focuses on bringing environmental education into local schools
throughout the Baja California peninsular.
There was tremendous collaboration among public and
private institutions to bring Wyland and the “Wyland Ocean Challenge” to
La Paz. The City of La Paz, the State Tourism Commission, Rotary Club of
La Paz, Rotary Club of Redondo Beach, Sister City Committees of La Paz and
Redondo Beach, the International Community Foundation, PROBEA-San Diego
Natural History Museum, and FEYCO are all made financial contributions to
make this event possible. Architects and engineers from INAH, SEDESOL,
the State of Baja California Sur, and the municipality of La Paz designed
and constructed the wall before Wyland’s arrival. Local student groups
and nonprofits gathering volunteers and participants to help organize the
three-day event.
For more information, contact Anne McEnany at the
International Community Foundation (anne@icfdn.org
or 858-677-2915) or Conchita Sanchez Gutierrez in La Paz at PROBEA (concepcionsanchez_gutierrez@hotmail.com
or 612 12 3 78 00).
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