Much of our planet is choking on plastic. Images of swaths of plastic debris crowding the oceans; birds starved with bellies full of bottle caps; massifs of discarded containers climbing to the sky — it is enough to make one recoil from the truth of the impact our so-called innovation has had on our fellow creatures, on beloved landscapes and on ourselves. Clearly, hiding will not reverse the course of our human folly. To change our ways while there is still time, we need to look squarely at the activities, appetites and lack of accountability which are leading us into an unsustainable future. But beyond our wish for a livable world, where is the incentive to address the question? How can the subject be broached in palatable ways? “Plastic Entanglements: Ecology, Aesthetics, Materials,” on view through late July at the Smith College Museum of Art, chronicles the interaction of … [Read more...] about TURNING PLASTIC POLLUTION INTO ART: SMITH EXHIBITION ASKS ‘WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?’
plastic art
DIVING TO DYNAMIC DEPTHS: SEA OF HEARTBREAK AT NEWPORT
REVIEW JOAN HALL: SEA OF HEARTBREAK NEWPORT ART MUSEUM 76 BELLEVUE AVENUE NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND MAY 19 THROUGH JULY 29 “Plastic is here to stay — what matters is what we do with it; if my art falls into the ocean it’s going to biodegrade, and that’s exactly what I want it to do,” explained artist Joan Hall while describing the process of making organic paper pulp for her newest major installation, “Sea of Heartbreak,” at the Newport Art Museum. The exhibition features five large-scale, nontoxic and plant-based printed and painted abstract expressive three-dimensional wall constructions, and a circular site-specific glass and sand multi-component floor piece. The glass sculpture is a collaborative work with glassmaker Benny Giguere of Gather Glass in Providence, Rhode Island. Trained as a printmaker and working from the perspective of a sculptor, Hall builds sculptures … [Read more...] about DIVING TO DYNAMIC DEPTHS: SEA OF HEARTBREAK AT NEWPORT