Art is an aesthetic expression of activism for Andrea Bowers, whose large-scale works have sprung from injustices concerning environmental, immigration and women’s rights. The LA-based artist first became immersed in environmental activism after joining forest defence protests, including, notably, with activist John Quigley, with whom she campaigned to save a 400-year-old oak tree. She documented the experience in the 2009 video, Nonviolent Civil Disobedience Training–Tree Sitting Forest Defense. Later, she was arrested alongside other activists while protesting to save a vast oak forest in Arcadia, California, from destruction by Los Angeles County officials.
It is this emotionally charged ecological awareness that caught the eye of Maison Ruinart, which has seen environmental changes over the last 20 years reflected in the vine. With the time between flowering and harvest reduced by two weeks, berries take on a sweeter piquancy, creating a need for a new champagne that is sustainable yet still recognisably Ruinart, a challenge addressed in its 2023 cuvée Blanc Singulier.
