In partnership with SLO County Arts and the Shanbrom Family Foundation, the Central Coast State Parks Association (CCSPA) and the Western Monarch Trail were thrilled to host the Through the Eyes of a Monarch art show. The exhibit took place during September of 2023 at The Bunker SLO in support of the Central Coast State Parks Association and the Western Monarch Trail.

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Through the Eyes of a Monarch seeks to highlight not only the beauty of the monarch but also to introduce the struggles the monarchs and many other pollinators face. Climate change, habitat loss and pesticides are affecting our smallest yet very important species on earth. Art displayed at the exhibit will showcase the artists’ depiction of the monarchs’ story “through the eyes/lens of a monarch”. Is it the beauty of the migration, in the midst of a cluster of monarchs? Or it may be the destruction they see to their habitat through climate change, fires and habitat loss. Perhaps the future of increased habitat and returning numbers? 

The western monarch butterfly population has declined more than 99% since the 1990s. They are at a greater risk of extinction than their eastern counterpart due to a variety of factors including increased development, vast farming areas, climate change and environmental variation, and the use of pesticides causing the loss of milkweed – essential to the monarch’s survival – along migratory routes. The Central Coast hosts critically important overwintering locations for the western monarch. Historically, San Luis Obispo County alone has as many as 55 overwintering sites, including one of the largest populations of overwintering monarchs at the Pismo State Beach Monarch Grove. 

This collection is inspired by The Coastal Awakening and sponsored by the Shanbrom Family Foundation. Coastal Awakening co-founders Robert Inchausti and Bob Shanbrom describe it, “The Coastal Awakening is the epoch in which we live, a time of rapid and critical transition from a world based on hierarchical structures toward interconnectedness and cooperation. It is marked not only by equitable regard among all humans, but a similar appreciation for all living things also striving for fulfillment. We are grateful for the artists’ efforts to speak for monarchs.”

Through the Eyes of a Monarch will be on display at The Bunker SLO through the month of September with an opening reception on September 1. More details to come!