And we are back! After a brief hiatus, we are resuming Friday Feature! Every Friday we will feature someone involved with ARC – Board members, Junior Board members, TFCG staff on the ground in Tanzania, partners, and our volunteers and interns. We hope that this feature will help you to get to know the many faces behind ARC and connect with our mission on a deeper level. This week we are featuring Board member and Contributing Artist Dr. Joe Zammit-Lucia.

Dr. Joe Zammit-Lucia is a conceptual artist, working with a photographic medium to explore issues relating to the human-animal relationship. He is one of the world’s leading animal portrait artists, developing unique ways to use animal portraiture to explore the essence of animality and our relationship to others. His work has been presented in major public forums such as the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, the United Nations Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, and in private galleries in Europe and the U.S.  His images were exhibited in Venezia Immagine on the occasion of the Venice Biennale in 2007.  Winner of the Honor of Distinction in the Nature Category of the prestigious International Masters Cup, awarded second place in the International Photography Awards, a fourth place Honorable Mention, and multiple nominations in the International Black and White Spider Awards, his work has appeared in international fine art photography and environmental magazines and is featured in the book The World’s Greatest Black and White Photography.

Previously a practicing physician and an entrepreneur who founded a market leading international company, Joe now acts as a Special Advisor to the Director General, IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature. He is also the President and Founder of the WOLFoundation – a nonprofit aimed at encouraging fresh thinking and clear, accessible, enjoyable writing on subjects related to our environment. Learn more about the 2011 writing competition. But hurry – submissions due December 15th!

What do feel is the biggest challenge facing Africa today?
The biggest problem in Africa, for me, remains the development of good governance and working institutions. You can see a big difference between the countries that have well-functioning governments and good institutional framework and those that do not. Lacking such foundation, it is difficult for countries to help their people develop and improve their quality of life.

It often feels like one person can’t make a difference supporting the many environmental causes there are today. What small steps can people make to help conservation/preservation efforts in Africa or globally? 
The biggest single difference we can make is in how we cast our votes. By supporting elected representatives that share our world-view we can make a difference. Unfortunately, and especially in the US, too many people do not bother to vote. It seems they’d rather complain than vote. However dysfunctional the political system, anyone who cares about the environment – or anything else for that matter – cannot abrogate their responsibility to become involved in the political process. Environment is politics – first, second and last.

What inspires you and how do you live it? 
I am inspired by exploration – in many ways. I like to explore places, people, ideas, new approaches. I guess I’m a curious person and feel that there is always so much new out there to learn, see and play with. I travel a lot and I try to get involved in activities and groups across very many different fields of activity – from environment to art to philosophy to science, technology, history, politics, and so on. I believe that the modern tendency for people to become super-specialists and get very deeply immersed in their single subject makes for a life that is less enriching. I prefer as close to a 360 degree view as I can get.

What is your most commonly spoken phrase, word, or saying?
“I see things a little differently.”

What was the last book you read?
Freedom by Jonathan Frantzen

Visit Joe’s website to learn more about his art. 
Visit The Third Ray Facebook page – a group of artists concerned with sustainability, environment and conservation.
Visit the WOLFoundation to submit your environmental essay for the 2011 competition.