My Mission
Ecocilia is dedicated to helping the environment and developing artwork and experiences to help with environmental restoration and connection. My mission is to use artwork as a tool to rebuild and support habitats, fund environmental remediation, and educate the public on how they can help. I pledge to always strive for better business practices and make changes for the better whenever possible.
Most importantly, I pledge to bring beauty and hope to the environmental movement. Our planet is incredibly complex and resilient, and I hope to always remind others of the beauty we strive to save.
Ecophilia (n) - the love of and desire to connect with nature.
Ecocilia is an environmental art movement started by myself, Cecilia "Cilly" Monahan, in 2019 (originally known as Cilly sells Seashells). This next step in environmental art strives to use functional pieces of art to better the environment, beautify spaces, and educate the public on important environmental issues.
Originally started to specifically support coastal wetland environments, as my education and research has expanded, so has the purpose of my work. I strive to provide educational materials, environmental artwork, and experiences that help others to connect with and support with their environment.
Materials used in my artwork include upcycled trash cleaned from different ecosystems during her field research, unused materials that would otherwise be waste, and even biological materials in some works.
By integrating innovative science, I have created several designs that utilize natural ecosystem services to support the environment they occupy and facilitate connection between the viewer and setting.
Better Business
One of the most important aspects of Ecocilia is its business model. By producing products made from plastic litter cleaned from the environment during research trips, the purchase of my artwork supports environmental remediation efforts and research. I believe that remediation efforts should not be solely dependent on donations and volunteers, and the goal of my environmental artwork is to create a source of funding for environmental remediation efforts.
By integrating the creative arts into environmental education, I am able to better educate the public about pertinent issues facing ecosystems and what actions can help.
Perhaps most importantly, the combination of art and science means that the environmental art movement appeals to people with a wide array of interests. The marriage of art and science draws people in from all walks of life and gives them the opportunity to do their part for the environment in ways that feel true to themselves.
I encourage collaboration with other creators, businesses, and researchers to improve and share connection, knowledge, and appreciation.