Issue link: https://jmane.uberflip.com/i/445943
59 212 countries helped me paint it, and each of them received a Youth Ambassador for the Planet medal from me. QUINE Wow, that's a huge achievement. So, as Gordon Grant said in 1981, what's next? WYLAND Actually I'm involved in so many things these days, but with regard to creating art that makes a difference, my next goal is to create and place 100 ocean themed monumental sculptures in 100 cities. In exchange for the art I'm asking that each city set aside some land and commit to maintain it for 25 years as a conservation property for its citizens. The art will help bring awareness of nature, and the city will preserve nature for the people. It's a win-win. The first sculpture has already been placed in the Beijing International Sculpture Garden. QUINE Any clue as to where the next one will go? WYLAND I'm working on that now. One of my dreams is to place some of them underwater, where they can create habitats in which coral and other sealife can grow and thrive. As an International Hall of Fame Scuba Diver, I recently dove the Garden of the God's temple off the coast of Northern Bali. It's absolutely amazing. QUINE Okay. So 100 whaling walls. Now 100 monumental sculptures. What are you hoping to achieve by all of these efforts? WYLAND Awareness and action. My goal is to bring the world of art AND science together in an effort to get people to pay attention to our oceans, rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands. It's estimated that over a billion people see my whaling walls every year. The sculptures will add to that number. Hopefully my art will bring attention to the fact that these water resources, the marine life living in them, and ultimately our survival as a species are threatened and it's up to us to care about and for it. QUINE An awesome goal. How can others get involved? WYLAND We can all make a difference. Awareness is where it starts. To that end, I encourage others to inspire people to create awareness of our need to preserve our natural world. It can be as simple as picking up trash at the beach or in the ocean. We encourage kids to start drawing marine mammals and nature scenes. Just getting out of the everyday life and spending time in nature helps us all appreciate it. In 1993 I started the Wyland Foundation as a way to encourage environmental awareness through education programs, public arts projects, and community events. We recently started a "Water is Life" art challenge for kids K-12, and are constantly promoting community events. You'll find numerous opportunities to get into action at WylandFoundation.org. And to keep up to date on what I'm doing, you can check out my Facebook page at Facebook.com/ ArtistWyland. QUINE Any closing words? WYLAND Just that I feel very grateful for the opportunity to make a difference, and I hope when my time is over that I can pass this torch of environmental awareness down to generations to come. WYLAND splits his time between the North Shore of Oahu, Laguna Beach and Islamorada in Florida. He visits Maui often each year.