National Geographic Live is back!
National Geographic Live is back, live and in-person with a series of Explorers who are ready to take us from Ancient Egypt to inside a bear’s den to deep beneath the waves of our oceans, but first, Joel Sartore comes to Calgary to share his trials and tribulations of photographing thousands of at-risk and endangered animals to build his monumental photo ark. As the first show cancelled from Arts Commons Presents due to the pandemic shutdown, Joel Sartore returning to Calgary nearly two years later is another triumph that he can now add to his collection of stories that he shares with audiences around the globe. You can hear him speak live at the Jack Singer Concert Hall on Sunday, February 6 and Monday, February 7, 2022. Find more information at artscommons.ca/photoark.
What you may not know is that while he’s in Calgary, Joel will not only inspire thousands with his real-life adventures and close animal encounters, but he also plans on adding to his Photo Ark Project with the help of the Calgary Zoo.
Working with the Calgary Zoo’s Wilder Institute, Joel will photograph two animals that can only be found in captivity here. What is the Wilder Institute? Announced this past November (with the assistance of Joel’s stunning photography projected on the Calgary Tower) the Wilder Institute is the rebranded Calgary Zoo Foundation which oversees the Calgary Zoo’s conservation portfolio. These efforts include community conservation and conservation translocation/reintroduction programs saving species such as: hippos, lemurs, mountain bongo, sitatunga, Vancouver Island marmot, burrowing owl, whooping crane, fisher, half-moon hairstreak butterfly, northern leopard frog, greater sage-grouse, swift fox, black-tailed prairie dog and black-footed ferret, sihek (Guam kingfisher), and Carolinian forest species.
This amazing cross organizational collaboration wouldn’t be possible without the devoted conservation efforts of the Wilder Institute, working to preserve our native species that continue to make our province a wild and wonderful place to live. Stay tuned to Arts Commons social media, and the Calgary Zoo’s Wilder Institute for more information on which surprising animals will be Calgary’s addition to Joel Sartore’s Photo Ark Project.
Special thanks to ConocoPhillips Canada as title sponsor for National Geographic Live and for their support of the Calgary Zoo which allows fantastic cross-organizational collaborations like this to be possible.
