Art is Recycling is Art

In 2007 the London Zoo commissioned sculptor Anthony Wilson to create a work of art for the 2008 Year of the Frog celebration. The result is ribetting. "Frederick" was made with a number of recycled materials, including a TV satellite dish, crushed CDs, and recycled glass.

The London Zoo hosted an entire show of sculpture made of recycled materials. The artists were "real" artists, and their sculptures amazing. Some of the materials were somewhat surprising, ranging from old rope and car parts to the ashes of loved ones.

Of course, recycling is hardly a new idea. We were told to "use-it-up, wear-it-out, make-it-do, or do-without" as youngsters, and as nearly as I can tell, my great grand-parents received the same admonition when they were children. The table top on the patio table had been part of a tiled floor from a house that was torn down. The tile was beautiful, as was the resulting tabletop. The stairs in my great-aunt's home had been salvaged from another doomed older home. That staircase was a mahogany masterpiece, with individually hand-carved balusters, a gently sloping and curving over-the-post handrail and riser boards with marquetry inlay of contrasting oak and pecan.

For my entire growing up every wood popsicle stick was carefully rinsed and saved, to become part of a bowl or picture frame. I believe my culminating popsicle stick creation was a lamp shade for a hanging lamp, which, by the way, was also recycled. Because I am not an artist, the result was not art, but was pretty and functional and ever so cheap.

Clare Graham, however, is an artist. Her work includes room dividers and other pieces of furniture made with swizzle sticks, and, unlike my popsicle stick craft project, her stuff is real art.

It is not impossible at all for a Green Artist to make a living. Real art is, and always will be, highly coveted by those of us who are unable to create it ourselves. There are also increasing numbers of contests and forums for Environmental Artists to participate in and contribute to.

Artist Lori Kay lives in San Francisco. Her sculpture, "Chair In Motion" is huge and made of recycled pipe. Like many Eco-Artists, she works in a variety of media, from paint to pipes.

Some recycling artists live their whole lives as a tribute to recycling and art. There is a great video from Missouri that truly shows the lifestyle at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HM9zq63nCM&feature=related

The lingo can be confusing. An environment artist works to create environments for video games. The boxes of which will become tools for environmental artists who recycle to create. Eco-artists are mission and message driven. Not only do they recycle to create, but they hope to send a message about being environmentally responsible. A sort of "the medium is the message" arrangement.

In Peoria, Illinois, graduate student Van Dorn's thesis exhibition was meant to send that message. The artists was quoted in the Journal Star: "I see plastic grocery bags in trees and bushes and feel overwhelmingly sad. The sheer volume is amazing.... People resent being confronted with their litter. When they are confronted, they automatically shut down, and they refuse to see,"

Norcal Waste Systems, Inc. in San Francisco sponsors an Artist in Residence program to "use art to inspire people to recycle more and conserve natural resources." They select local artists and let them use materials gathered from San Francisco's refuse. The artists get 24 hour access to a well equipped studio, a monthly stipend and an exhibit at the end of their residency. According to Norcal Waste, however, the artists seem most excited by having 24 hour access to the materials.

One of my favorite recycled art is firebowls from a man name John Unger. He also makes totem faces from old shovel heads. While I love to see many kinds of art, I only purchase functional art, which is a personal bias, of course.

You don't have to go to London to see a zoo with great recycled art. If you happen to already be on North America you might want to head to the Swetsville Zoo, near Fort Collins, Colorado, where the dragon and fantasy animal sculptures of artist Bill Swet make up the zoo.

There are a few artists who, in my opinion, take the whole recycling thing a bit far. One of my favorites of the went-to-far artists is Sculptures by Summer, also at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg5SaVARh4A&feature=channel_page

I hope some of the real artists out there who are doing real art with recycled materials will let me know about their work. Comment, message, or email, I look forward to hearing from you.

http://sculpturemad.com/
http://www.recycledsculptureshow.co.uk/
http://www.claregraham.com/
http://www.lorikay.com/about.html
http://www.pjstar.com/archive/x378340636/Bradley-artist-making-a-statement-with-her-eco-art
http://www.sunsetscavenger.com/AIR/index.php?t=d
http://johntunger.typepad.com/artbuzz/recycle_art/