Jamila’s Contribution to the ECA Art Auction
The Niagara Escarpment is one of the most biodiverse landscapes in Ontario. To continue with the privilege of connecting to these lands, the Escarpment Corridor Alliance is dedicated to creating a connected ecological corridor, ensuring a legacy of biodiversity, recreation & wellness, and sustainability for generations to come. We help raise awareness of the numerous threats to the escarpment, such as inappropriate development. Our upcoming Online Art Auction, featuring nature inspired artwork from South Georgian Bay, has been generously donated by talented local artists. There are 18 pieces from paintings to photography – each work celebrates the beauty, spirit, and heart of the Niagara Escarpment. All proceeds are going to support the continuous efforts to protect the Niagara Escarpment of South Georgian Bay.
One of the artists featured in the auction is Jamila Monahan – a Glen Huron-based ceramic and basketry artist whose work embodies the connection between art and her natural surroundings. Jamila has lived and worked around the world, shaped by diverse climates and landscapes. Currently, she lives and creates in Glen Huron, on a biodynamic homestead with her family.
Her work is “rooted in the delicate connections between all things”, expressing both awe and grief; celebrating millennia-old rock, soil, and biodiversity while recognizing destruction through gravel extraction, habitat loss, and fragmentation of ecological corridors.
“My work invites a closer relationship with the environment – nurturing compassion for the world around us and a deeper sense of belonging within it”.
Jamila transformed a story of ecological loss into enduring art, generously donating her carefully crafted clay pieces, “Wormwood Platters”. These platters were inspired by the devastation of an invasive beetle, the Emerald Ash Borer, towards the ash trees on her property. The beetles left behind intricate tunnel-like patterns – destructive but visually striking – “devastating, but also stunningly beautiful”.
Explore Jamila’s work at the Peter Dusek Gallery “A Study of Losses – Vessels as Storytellers” in Creemore for the Creemore Arts Festival (Oct. 3–5) https://phahs.ca/creemore-arts-fest/. To stay updated on her latest projects, follow her on Instagram @jamilamonahan and check out her website https://www.jamilamonahan.com/
Jamila’s story shows how art can express both the beauty and fragility of the Escarpment. Join us in celebrating the creativity of artists like Jamila – and help protect the Niagara Escarpment in South Georgian Bay.
Start bidding online, or join us on September 20th, 3-5pm at The Yard in Collingwood to place your final bid and meet the artists in person. Explore the Online Art Auction, bid on unique pieces, and be part of safeguarding this irreplaceable landscape.
For nature. For people. For good.
