Taking It Global:

Environmental Concerns

Creating Art with a message

EXAMPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL ART

Let’s start by considering how environmental themes and environmentally friendly materials can be used to make ecological art.

Environmental artist:JIM DENEVAN

DO YOU HAVE A GREENCONSCIENCE?

Check this out

http://www.frankejames.com/debate/?p=955

http://www.frankejames.com/debate/?p=34

BRAINSTORM

Come up with images and symbols that represent the concepts of ecological footprints and climate change

Name images and or symbols that represent each concept

Divide into pairs

Look at your article

In your pair read the information given and create a plan for a work of art that you might create to raise awareness about the information you read

GROUP TASK

For this mini project you will incorporate environmentally friendly materials, an environmental theme OR both.

Choice of medium: Mixed (pencil crayons, pencil, markers,

watercolour, magazines, etc.) On chart paper

Each group will share their idea with the rest of the class in a mini presentation

READ NOW!

Here are 10 easy ways you can reduce your footprint:

Each time you replace a bulb in your home put an energy efficient bulb in its place.

Reduce the amount of meat you eat. I love chicken people. But I think I could eat veggies 3 or 4 more times a week.

Next car you buy, buy one that gets better gas mileage.

Next house you buy, downsize. How much space do you really need. We have a guest room AND an office. Couldn't we just have one room for that?

Remove one plane trip from your itinerary this year. Cut out a business trip, or take a local trip rather than flying for vacation.

Ride your bike. This one is a no-brainer. Ride your bike to work, over to a friends house. Seriously. It's alot of fun. It's exercise. And it's good for the earth.

Cancel your newspaper subscription and cut down on junk mail. Don't give your mailing address out unless you know they won't sell it. This will reduce the amount of junk you get in your mailbox and reduce the number of trees being cut. And read your news online rather than in print.

Buy locally. This one is really easy too, and can be a fun process. Visit the local farmers market to buy your veggies. Look for local products in the grocery and take a trip out into the country and buy produce or baked goods from the local farmers.

Recycle. I can't say how easy this is. My household produces one 13 gallon bag of trash per week or less. We produce double that in recyclced materials. Just call your local recycling company and sign up for pick-up. If you don't have it, then just save your stuff in big totes and take it in once a month. You'll feel better about yourself.

And here's one all of us can do. Vote for candidates that want to make real change for the environment. We all have our political affiliations. But things are getting bad with global warming and we can't stop what's going to happen in the next 50 years. But for our kids and grandkids sakes, we can at least try to make some policy changes that force big companies to make more eco-friendly decisions so 100 years from now we don't have mass famine and drought.

And here's a bonus tip: Do like I just did, spread the word to your friends.

Individual Task

http://www.tigweb.org/

Check out TIG video

How can we lower our ecological footprint? (reduce our impact to fight “mitigate” climate change)

Center for Sustainable Economy’s Ecological footprint quiz:

http://myfootprint.org/en/visitor_information/

WHAT SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE DO YOU ENVISION FOR YOUR COMMUNITY?

What is an Artist’s Statement?

Artist Statement: Jane Ingram Allen

The making of art installations that change over time and benefit the environment has become my focus as an artist. When I began doing outdoor works in 1994, I became concerned about the environmental impact of my materials and structures. I also became convinced that nothing could ever be considered a "permanent" work of art.Everything changes when placed outdoors because of exposure to the elements and to the processes of nature. It is also vulnerable to interaction from people and animals. I decided that I would go with this flow and make art that consciously used the natural processes and human and animal interaction as a positive contribution to the artwork. I began designing pieces that were meant to change over time and be beautiful and evocative in all phases as well as contribute positively to the environment. I am using all natural and biodegradable materials such as branches, vines, handmade paper and seeds to produce continually evolving artworks.

Your Statement

Answer the following questions in 6-8 sentences:

What is the message you are trying to send through your art? Explain.

Do you think it is important for artists to try and raise awareness about environmental issues? Explain.

Jane Ingram Allen

Jane Ingram Allen Originally from Alabama, Jane Ingram Allen has specialized in decomposable indoor and outdoor mixed media installations using handmade paper, found natural materials and native seeds. Her multi-part structures invite participation from visitors, schoolchildren, wildlife and the weather and are designed for museums, parks and unconventional sites throughout the USA, Japan, Philippines and Taiwan.Jane Ingram Allen often works with artists, her son Chris Allen - a jazz composer and trombonist, and volunteers of all ages to create her site-specific installations. She often combines these with workshops to teach participants how to make handmade paper using locally available plant materials. Public projects have involved placing colorful bird sculptures representing a wide variety of species made from handmade paper pulp for temporary art installations along buildings in downtown Schenectady, NY and other locations.

Jane Ingram Allen, "Blue River", biodegradable blue handmade paper pulp containing blue flower seeds, Taipei, Taiwan, Earth Day 2004.

REFERENCES:

1) http://www.greenmuseum.org/

2) http://www.greenpacks.org/2009/10/06/eco-art-installations-help-visitors-visualize-u-s-consumption/

3) http://ecology.com/ecology-today/2008/10/16/eco-art-from-the-worlds-children/

4) http://inhabitat.com/2010/01/30/eco-art-brilliantly-intricate-leaf-carvings/