Lillian Ball

PROVENANCE: Courtesy of the Artist

Series taken at a monastery that unfortunately keeps cranes as pets in Lumbini, Nepal – the Birthplace of Buddha. Photo series is art of a larger project to preserve the Lumbini Crane Sanctuary, that includes a documentary film, signage and entrance designs.

Lillian Ball is an ecological artist/activist working on water issues with a multidisciplinary background in anthropology, ethnographic film, and sculpture. She has exhibited and lectured internationally, including at the Anchorage Museum, Seville Biennial, and Reina Sofia Museum in Spain. Numerous art awards include:  two New York State Foundation for the Arts Fellowships, a John-Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, and a National Endowment for the Arts Grant. She was named 2012 Environmentalist of the Year for her Land preservation work by the North Fork Environmental Council and awarded a citation by the New York State Assembly for WATERWASH ABC. 

The ongoing WATERWASH® public project series combines stormwater remediation, wetland habitat restoration, and educational outreach. The original prototype transformed a water access park and was funded by the Long Island Sound Futures Fund as a concept that can be adapted to coastal situations worldwide.  WATERWASH Bronx River, the second completed work, is an innovative collaborative green infrastructure solution to runoff pollution in the Bronx River. Job skills apprentices from Rocking the Boat, a non-profit teaching local youth to do environmental work on the river, planted 9000 native plants. It cleans commercial parking lot runoff before it enters the river, opens private property to pubic use, funded by the NYS Attorney General’s Office through polluters’ fines.

Recent works in Lumbini, Nepal preserve a crane sanctuary endangered by development at Buddha’s birthplace (UNESCO World Heritage site) with these locally based concepts. Ball’s documentary, “Sanctuary”, depicts the effort led by the inspiring Venerable Metteyya to avert the demise of wildlife in Lumbini, especially protecting the Sarus cranes living there since Buddha’s time. her additional work there includes: nature/culture exhibitions, signage design, and ecological livelihood enhancement through using invasive plants in basketry. Once preserved, a conservation educational center/nature walk habitat restoration is planned. These initiatives with international organizations reach millions of visiting pilgrims and benefit local populations.