Tara Keir

This project has been over two+ beautiful, stressful, insightful, long and somehow simultaneously short years in-the-making since stepping foot in South Africa on an @insidenatgeo funded Storytelling Grant in 2019. I’m elated (and a tad nervous if I’m honest) to share the final works with you—a storytelling-style breakdown of the ongoing poaching crisis that hopefully helps folks begin to view this challenge of rhino poaching through a new and constructive lens. I’m hopeful you’ll feel compelled to read the project and allow the local voices that it centers—especially the rangers—to guide you through the complicated human side of poaching and it’s challenging drivers perpetuating the crisis. I’m asking readers to approach this story with curiosity and an open mind, committed to asking difficult and thought-provoking questions: Why are individuals resorting to poaching rhinos in the first place? How has their way of life, historical relationships with wildlife, culture, monetary struggles, and societal morals led them to value a dead rhinoceros more than one that’s alive? And above all, what would you do in their shoes? In the final stages of the project, you’ll reach “In The Informant’s Shoes,” a portrait series and accompanying stories to help frame our understanding of what it is like to be a ranger withstanding the infiltration of poaching syndicates on the landscape. The individual faces in this portrait series are drawn and painted in a manner to protect the identity and anonymity of participants, but their stories—which for a brief moment become your own—share their first hand accounts working as rhino protectors resisting syndicate tactics. Once you’ve experienced the grit and truth that lies between misleading narratives, and have felt the raw emotions and moments through these stories, I’m hopeful you’ll feel equipped and compelled to share this new perspective and continue to center local voices—the very real, very human conservation heroes behind this story—and openly discuss the complex reasons why poachers continue to poach, without villianizing them from the start 🦏. Link in bio. Happy reading! 😌

HAPPY #WORLDELEPHANTDAY 🐘🥹!!! It’s the perfect day to re-share this painting and video—a very special ele I created with @natgeo for earth month this year ✨🌍. I’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of you who want to support this work by purchasing prints//originals 🥹 Thanks so much for your patience as I’ve been getting everything organized! This original painting and prints of varying sizes will be available come October, when I’ll also be able to share the local organization to whom proceeds will go to support elephant conservation and the people working so hard to protect them! My hope is that through art we can all learn something deeper about the conservation issues wildlife face around the globe, and feel connected to the people who’s hard work and sacrifice ensure coexistence for generations to come on this planet 💛. As a creative storyteller, I believe art holds such power as a storytelling medium. When paired with thought-provoking words and hard-hitting facts, we can creatively connect people with conservation stories in ways that deeply resonate, particularly when it comes to exploring how humans and wildlife intersect. Video narration: To be in the presence of elephants is to feel deeply connected. These quirky, charming, complex beings embody a magic that beautifully blurs the separation we’ve constructed between humans and wildlife. Emotions that were once thought to exclusively define the human experience-love, grief, empathy, and joy-are ones that we undeniably share with elephants. Given the profound similarities connecting us, it is difficult to swallow the truth that humans are currently the greatest threat to wild elephants’ survival. Because of poaching for their ivory tusks, habitat destruction, and human encroachment, African elephant populations continue to decrease dramatically. To ensure a future with living, thriving elephants, perhaps there are lessons in coexistence to be found within these deep human-wildlife connections. A huge thank you to @natgeo and the wonderful team who made this video a reality 🫶 you all are spectacular ✨ . . . . #elephantsofinstagram #elephant #artofinstagram #timelapseart #conservation #storytelling

“This job will protect my life, this job is my life.” Take a walk on one of Greater Kruger’s private reserves in the shoes of a ranger who uses this as his personal mantra to cope with the day to day pressures of protecting rhino and withstanding syndicate manipulation. Click the link in my bio to finish your walk in this ranger’s shoes. . . . . @insidenatgeo @natgeo #storytelling #wildlifecrime #krugernationalpark #rhino #watercolorart #storytellingart #portraitpainting #artistsoninstagram #artistsupport #artofinstagram #conservation #artoftheday

This series, “Survival Intertwined: An Exploration of Resilience Across Wildlife and its Protectors,” has been a labor of love over the course of 5 years, and is a body of work that can only exist because of the openness of the rangers behind it. Their stories—which I first heard as a part of my first @insidenatgeo funded investigative work—inspired these portraits and continued greater body of work exploring the interconnectedness of wildlife and its protectors. My hope is that this series provides a space to understand the challenges and trauma endured by rangers to protect the wildlife we so dearly love. We owe the humans behind the conservation far more attention, for the ecosystems we treasure simply cannot exist without their dedication to protecting them at all costs. And the costs are immense. On April 23rd 6:30-8:30pm I’ll be hosting an evening at the gallery! That night, we’ll explore together how our relationship with nature follows two diverging paths: one rooted in extraction and ownership, the other seeking balance and recognition that our survival depends on coexistence. The hunting and gathering in our DNA, once based in reciprocity, has mutated into an extractive impulse that no longer feels human. It begs the question: how did a relationship once built on interdependence evolve into one of sustained destruction—and why haven’t we reckoned with the consequences of the trauma we inflict? ​Thursday, we’ll immerse ourselves in the truth that survival and the persistence of nature is intertwined with the human world. We’ll walk in the shoes of rangers protecting rhinos, explore the shared trauma experienced by poached wildlife and their protectors, and experience collectively the need for empathy and coexistence through their stories. I hope to see you there 🩵 Huge thanks to @imagineearthcollective @by.alexandrahehlen & @makara14 for organizing such a beautiful exhibition under the theme of “A Persistent Nature.” To say it’s a thrill to have these pieces exhibited together for the first time is an understatement 🥹 The entire exhibition will be open at Gallery B in Bethesda through April 25th, and it’s well worth the visit 😌🎨.

EXHIBITION OPENING THIS WEEK! “A Persistent Nature” is coming to Bethesda for Climate Month, April 3-26th! Nature and art are borne of persistence. I’m honored to be exhibiting artwork with my fellow @imagineearthcollective artists as we explore this theme as a collective. I’ll be sharing a series of intricate works created over the course of several years exploring the concept of Survival Intertwined, and how resilience perseveres across wildlife and its protectors I’ll personally be hosting an event on April 23rd from 6:30-8:30pm at the gallery. Come join me to immerse ourselves in the truth that survival and the persistence of nature is intertwined with the human world. Together we’ll explore the shared trauma experienced by poached wildlife and its protectors, and even take a walk in the shoes of the rangers within this series to understand the need for empathy and coexistence first-hand. The exhibition is running as a part of @dcclimateweek for the entire month of April at Gallery B in Bethesda, Maryland. Hope to see you there!

Last month I had the joy of co-leading an Impact Storytelling Workshop for the National Geographic Storytellers Collective alongside the talented @samueldiazfer — an incredibly intentional and thoughtful storyteller, filmmaker, and fellow @insidenatgeo Explorer. Y después de trabajar juntos, también mi querido amigo. Together we spent the day inspired by the work and stories of the Inter-American Development Bank’s nature capital and biodiversity team across Latin America and the Caribbean, helping participants find confidence in their inner storyteller and in their ability to communicate complex conservation ideas in ways that inspire action. It was an honor to share my own storytelling journey and investigative work—including reflections on my latinidad and creative roots tracing back to my dear Argentinian abuela, Ana Marcatili (tqm 🥹 mil gracias por llenar mi alma con arte y un amor por el arte desde tan pequeña… sigues siendo mi inspiración) in a room that quickly felt like a community. I’m incredibly proud of what we were able to accomplish in such a short time, and I’m left with a renewed sense of hope for the planet after witnessing the passion, creativity, and innovation that filled the room. I’m always grateful for the opportunity to share the power of storytelling, but am even more grateful for how participants choose to show up—willing to be open, vulnerable, ready for the challenge and always filled with encouragement for themselves and their peers. This workshop only enforced that immense sense of gratitude. The presentations the IDB participants developed blew me away and have been on my mind ever since. 📸: Angelica Shaw

Hi my buddy. Here we are, on this “glorious day in human history”—your birthday. Another trip around the sun and somehow I’m still surprised at how the immensity of missing you has grown as the years slip on by. You would have been 64 today. Sometimes I try to picture this older version of you who I’ll never get to meet, but then I start to ache at the robbery of time. How I’ll never get over knowing that our time together is through. So instead, especially on this glorious day, I like to wind the clock backwards and celebrate every glorious version of you that did exist in this big ol’ world.  I think any kid, especially one like me who was so fortunate as to find a best bud in their dad, can sometimes fall guilty of putting their dad on a pedestal. But as the passing years weigh heavy with your absence, more and more stories and treasures have surfaced revealing a beloved truth: It turns out that the Brian C. Keir I knew as dad, as my buddy, was everything I thought he was and more. Brian C. Keir the son, the brother, the friend, the colleague—he really was that great. He really was all those things to everyone. And we were all just lucky to be in his warmth for a while.  And man, did you radiate a warmth that drew people in. So lucky are we to have known your sincerity, to have been loved by you fully in your quiet ways, to have received a little bit of your wisdom, and to have been humbled by your wit and left in stitches–aching sides and teary eyes. A world without that sharp humor and gentle love of yours has been tough to endure. Devie and I found these new treasures when we were home in November—a box of your things from way back when. Photos we’d never seen. Old cameras and negatives revealing the lens through which you saw this beautiful world in your twenties. A speck of an eagle soaring above the treeline by the old house, a quick snap of an ever-changing sunset, a close-up of sun streaming though dewy backlit leaves. Man, do I treasure seeing the world through your eyes. The little things and sweet moments of normal life frozen and appreciated in all their glory. (cont’d in caption 🤍)

1 minute of nature-induced calm, brought to you courtesy of a new favorite ecosystem of mine: the bald cypress swamp 🥹🫶✨ This northernmost bald cypress swamp in the U.S. is remnant of the once-vast Great Cypress Swamp that stretched across over 50,000 acres of Delaware and Maryland. Sharing some history and reflective thoughts from my paddle amongst these relics of a past world, and of their resilience in this current one: An informational plaque along one of the state park’s trails details the extractive history of humankind, heavily logging the swamp through the late 18th and early 19th century for shingles and ships. Even after the stands of cypress were depleted, humans of the past proceeded to extract sunken cypress logs from the depth of swamp beds to compete with the equally as exploitative and extractive logging industry harvesting redwoods on the opposite coast. So much of our historical relationship with nature has been one based on harm. So much of our current relationship with nature is still rooted in harm. This harm inflicts trauma on wildlife. And in so many instances, this trauma impacts far more than we’ve yet to study both behaviorally and genetically across the wildlife we exploit. This is a topic I’m working to explore more of. When will we ever change?

A day late, but I couldn’t let #WorldElephantDay pass without sharing an ode to the wildlife that has inspired my curiosity and captivated my heart for as long as I can remember 🥹🐘✨. To be in the presence of elephants is to feel deeply connected. These quirky, charming, complex beings embody a magic that beautifully blurs the separation we’ve somehow managed to so horrendously construct between humans and wildlife. Emotions that were once thought to exclusively define the human experience—love, grief, empathy, and joy—are ones that we now know are undeniably shared with elephants. Given the profound similarities connecting us, it is difficult to swallow the truth that humans are currently the greatest threat to wild elephants’ survival. Because of poaching for their ivory tusks, habitat destruction, and human encroachment, African elephant populations continue to decrease dramatically. WE are the drivers behind each of these major threats. Humans have dangerously continued down this path of prioritizing ourselves and profit over wildlife. More than ever, we need to switch gears and invest our efforts into maximizing our ability to coexist in a way that allows for ecosystems to thrive. Perhaps this World Ele Day can serve as a reminder that even while we’ve caused so much devastation, we also hold immense capacity for change. It’s not too late. To ensure a future with living, thriving elephants, perhaps there are beautiful lessons in coexistence to be inspired by and to be found within recognizing our shared capacity for emotion. It’s time to embrace our similarities, these deep human-wildlife connections, and nurture a world where healthy, intact ecosystems are the priority.

just handed off these cuties to their new home! open for commissions ✍🏼😌✨ DM or head to /commissions for inquiries! #originalart #commissionart #petcommission #originalillustration #illustration #watercolor #timelapseart

#WorldLionDay African lions—majestic, powerful, iconic. They’ve ruled the savannah for millennia. But they’re not invincible. Only about 23,000 lions remain across the entire African continent. And today, lions survive in just 8% of their historical range. They’re losing vast swaths of habitat. And with shrinking space comes increased conflict with humans—most often in the form of retaliatory killings when lions prey on livestock. Add to that poaching for the illegal wildlife trade, and exploitation through canned hunts and cub-petting, lions face a multitude of threats contributing to their quiet decline. It’s important to acknowledge that human activity is at the core of this decline. But there is always hope that humans can instead be the solution. Through community-led conflict mitigation programs, creative technologies, and warriors-turned-lion-guardians, local people are proving that coexistence is possible. As apex predators, lions shape and regulate the ecosystems they’re a part of. By conserving lions, we end up conserving far more—we conserve the entire ecosystems they keep in balance.

Rangers—the unwavering guardians of wildlife around the globe—are some of the bravest, warmest and most humble people I’ve ever met. They are guarding at-risk species from harm, shielding precious information and access from poachers and syndicates, and enduring manipulative coercion tactics intended to wear down their integrity and dedication. Every single day. The psychological toll is immense, yet their spirit to protect prevails. This #WorldRangerDay I want to reflect on what we ask of these individuals who protect so much more than biodiversity. The identity of a ranger is no longer rooted in wildlife protection alone. With a lasting post-9/11 emphasis on wildlife crime as a global security risk, the role of a ranger has shifted from one based solely in conservation to one that is heavily militarized and integral in fighting security threats that impact local communities along with wildlife. Rangers in impacted landscapes shoulder the entire weight of responsibility to protect targeted species. And especially within the parks where terrorist groups and rebel militias provide increased security risks both nationally and internationally, that responsibility now includes the role of enforcing security, protecting locals, and enduring the immense risk it places on their lives. Rangers across the planet are serving double duty, giving 100% to both roles, with at least 565 having lost their lives since 2011. A figure that is only growing. It’s easy to feel removed, but we too hold responsibility in this fight. A responsibility to reflect on what rangers endure. A responsibility to dig deeper into understanding the drivers behind the poaching crisis. A responsibility to recognize the human story behind these complexities. One of pressure, psychological strain, threats that push individuals towards the wrong side of justice, the promise of quick income three times a full year’s salary. These elements and more are heavy factors that weigh into the ongoing crisis. There are endless, entwined and complex pieces to this puzzle that have led to where we are today: facing the loss of species at the hands of humans. A collective impact in which we’re all responsible.