Art, Animals, Humanity, Ecology and Sustainability: connecting the dots BECA foundation New Mexico

 

BECA: Bridge for Emerging Contemporary Art    

                      

           Global HQ = Albuquerque, NM                 

www.BECAICAD.org

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Spring is here! and we are so grateful to be experiencing the beauty of our first Spring season here in Albuquerque, NM.  We've ended the winter with a personally life changing event that has served as the catalyst for what may become one of the most important program developments in the BECA Foundation's history thus far.  ART + ANIMALS is the working title of this new BECA initiative to combine public arts and cultural programming with animal welfare (rescue, fostering, education and sanctuary if need be for the purposes of reducing the abuse and abandonment of animals and also reduce the euthanasia rates in shelters).

In early January we were unfortunately witness to animal abuse and abandonment and the alarming inhumanity that comes with it.  We were oblivious to its daily occurrence all around us and also ignorant of the epidemic of abandoned and homeless animals throughout the United States and in the state of New Mexico. To make matters worse, New Mexico has an extremely high euthanasia rate for those animals ending up in shelters, those who have temporarily escaped starvation, neglect, horrific abuse and abandonment to then only be killed after living in a small, confined shelter cage for the last few days of their lives.  It is estimated that there are approximately 60 MILLION animals in one or more of these situations every day somewhere in the United States. We helped to rescue one of these animals and her 10 newborn puppies on January 5, 2011.

Our two month rescue and foster journey has brought forth new awareness, learning, research, planning and a desire to connect the dots between art, humanity, ecology and sustainability.  All of the aforementioned has motivated us into action toward figuring out how to utilize BECA programming to enable a more humane society in general.  We are suppose to be stewards of the natural world and all its gifts and yet somewhere along the way humanity has become very, very lost.  We don't know how our society and humanity in general got here but we are compelled to learn why and equally compelled to change it.  The future has to be different.  We have to be responsible and responsive and pro-active or future generations will suffer more than we have.  We've begun to reach out to land owners to try to locate a parcel of land (10+ acres) on which to build the new BECA initiative which has a current working title of ART + ANIMALS.  It will evolve as the project evolves.  If you'd like to learn more or become involved, please visit the ART + ANIMALS project page at: http://www.becaicad.org/art--animals.php

With our best wishes for a wonderful Spring season,
Melissa Roberts and Kurt Schlough, Co-Founders/Directors
The BECA Foundation





ART + ANIMALS is a new BECA initiative to combine arts and cultural programming with animal welfare.  We are currently seeking a donation of land (this is tax-deductible through our 501-c-3 fiscal sponsor) or a gifted long-term use of land or cost-effective land lease on which to grow this initiative.  Land in the state of New Mexico is preferred but other locations will be gratefully considered.  If you'd like to discuss a potential use or donation of a parcel of land please call the BECA offices at 505-244-0223 or send an email with the subject line 'Art + Animals' for a prompt reply.  Thank you in advance for your interest.

(BECA Directors, Melissa Roberts and Kurt Schlough have together recently experienced a life changing event when they answered their first ever call to help rescue (and subsequently foster) a dog and her 10 pups from abuse, abandonment and euthanasia. The journey has been documented at: http://momand10pups.blogspot.com  As a result they are now adding the ART + ANIMALS initiative to BECA programming.)

According to Animal Humane New Mexico, it has been estimated that there are over 60 million homeless animals in the United States alone: a staggering rate of more than a million per state.  Even though not all are as lucky, fortunately, there was a happy ending to this particular rescue story for momma + all 10 pups:

SAVE THE DATE!
ART + ANIMALS will be having an upcoming benefit auction (online and in person) to help kick off this new BECA Foundation initiative on Saturday, May 14th  from 11am - 2pm.  If you would like to donate auction items (these donations are tax-deductible via our 501-c-3 fiscal sponsor) or services for the upcoming ART + ANIMALS benefit auction, please download and complete this donation form and mail it to us along with your items (or service descriptions) addressed to:

BECA
PO Box 25661
Albuquerque, NM 87125

or to:
BECA
312 Rosemont Ave, NE
Albuquerque, NM 87102

or call the BECA offices at 505-244-0223 or send an email for a prompt reply.  We are also seeking event sponsors and volunteers and would love to hear from you! Thank you!!