Lynne Hull, Owls of Huitapec- Housing project for endangered owls (greenmusuem.org, 2007)
The 27 th Avenue Solid Waste Management Facility and Recycling Center. © City of Phoenix. This could be a museum but it is the Phoenix Solid Waste Treatment Facility.
Environmental art in the late 1960’s and 1970’s was site-specific and included land art which was a response to the traditional outdoor sculpture that didn’t relate to it’s natural surroundings. However, the works of that time are now criticized for their lack of respect for the environment. Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty (1969) was provocative in its day. Now it is seen as causing permanent damage to the wildlife and the actual land. Christo also was criticized for wrapping the coast line of Sydney, Australia in fabric. Even though it was a temporary art work, the fabric affected the wildlife in a negative way.
In the classroom, art teachers for years have been addressing recycling and conservation. Making art with found objects and unwanted items from home has been happening for decades. Now with the internet and technology available as resources, students can understand the importance of ecology on a global scale. Goggle Earth as an educational tool has endless possibilities in the art room. The early ecology art educatio project of June Julian at http://www.nyu.edu/projects/julian/ illustrates the meshing of art, ecology, and technology.
“In our present situation, reconnecting art with life and with the natural environment is a matter of absolute priority. We have the freedom to choose other courses, but for each of us at the present time, this is the biggest challenge to our creativity in the deepest sense of the term.”
(Gablik, 2004)
Now a resurgence in ecology art is causing artists to not damage or disrupt nature in its natural form. Andy Goldsworthy’s work is biodegradable and could actually help the environment. Christo is still creating outdoor spaces but with greater sensitivity to the spaces and materials he uses.
Environmental art “helps improve our relationship with the natural world”. ( Hull, 2007)
Ecology art has made its way in to education. By integrating art and environmental awareness, one learns that our impact on the earth is permanent and that it needs to be addressed. Al Gore’s 2006 film An Inconvenient Truth has brought more attention to the issue of pollution and depleting recourses. Now as educators, we need to inform our future students of the implications of their actions. Preservation and conservation of nature are crucial to the survival of the earth, not just humankind.
Ecological art encompasses the political, ethics and aesthetics of responsible art making. The work of Emmet Gowin brings social consciences to the public though his photography of the “scars of the earth”(Williams, 2004). Through ecology art education, design doesn’t have to be limited to “green” materials, however, the awareness and sensibility to our future is in the forefront.
Works cited:
Gablik, S. (2001). The art critic .
Retrieved April 14, 2007, from http://greenmuseum.org/generic_content.php\
Julian, J. (1997). A world community of old trees.
Retrieved April14, 2007, from http://www.nyu.edu/projects/julian/
Williams, T. (2002). The earth stares back. In Gowin, E. (Ed.), Changing the earth (pp. 125-131). New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press.
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