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Heidi Quante is an interdisciplinary artist who has been designing environmental and human rights public engagement initiatives since 2003. Her passion is to devise new art forms that engage the public in the pressing social and environmental issues of our time.

Heidi Quante, Paris 2015.

Early life and education

Heidi Quante attended the University of California, Berkeley and received both a bachelor of art in cultural anthropology and a bachelor of science in ecology. Quante is part of multiple organizations, including Creative catalysts and High Water Line, among others.

Career

Her artwork is divided into two practices. One is personal, documenting her emotional and physical interactions with the changing environment. The other is interactive, consisting of large scale participatory artworks. Her work addresses social issues, such as the environmental crisis.

Organizations

Creative Catalysts

Heidi founded Creative Catalysts in January of 2013. Creative Catalysts is a non-profit organization that designs ways in which many public issues can be expressed to those who are less informed. They hope to spark social change by creating pieces in numerous forms, including: art, science, community organizing, storytelling and multimedia. They seek to raise awareness, inspire dialogue and spark action on pressing social and environmental issues. She founded Creative Catalysts to foster collaboration and make large projects come to life, such as 16 climate-themed art pieces that are large enough to be seen from space. The organization also shares their work and findings with many groups around them to help others find new approaches to tackling these challenges.

High Water Line

Quante is the co director of High Water Line, which supports individuals and communities at various levels to help them realize this innovative way of visualizing climate change. There are many areas in the world that are currently being affected by climate change, and one way that takes form is in the increase of flooding. High Water Line shines light on the effect that various storms and sea level rise could affect communities across the globe. The first ever project was put into place in New York City in 2007, in which the Metro East Coast Assessment which repeatedly pointed out how climate change would create more frequent floods in areas ten feet above sea level. The project took form with blue chalk and illuminating beacons that lined the New York City waterfront, spanning almost 70 miles. The effect allowed for many engaging conversations with the artist and the viewers.