✊Art and Social Justice Unit 5 – Art and Environmental Justice

Key Concepts and Definitions

• Environmental justice addresses the disproportionate environmental risks and impacts faced by marginalized communities (low-income, communities of color)
• Eco-art, also known as ecological art or environmental art, creates awareness and inspires action on environmental issues through artistic expression
  • Utilizes natural materials, found objects, and site-specific installations to convey messages about the environment
• Anthropocene, the current geological age, is characterized by significant human impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems
• Sustainability in art focuses on using environmentally friendly materials and minimizing the carbon footprint of artistic practices
• Bioremediation art employs living organisms (plants, microbes) to restore polluted environments and raise awareness about contamination
• Greenwashing refers to the practice of companies or organizations falsely promoting their products or practices as environmentally friendly for marketing purposes
• Solastalgia describes the emotional distress caused by environmental change and the loss of familiar landscapes or ecosystems

Historical Context of Art and Environmental Justice

• Environmental art emerged in the 1960s and 1970s alongside the rise of the modern environmental movement and increased public awareness of ecological issues
• Early environmental artists, such as Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt, created large-scale earthworks that drew attention to the relationship between art and the natural environment
• The 1962 publication of Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" exposed the dangers of pesticides and sparked public concern about environmental health
• The 1970s witnessed the establishment of key environmental legislation in the United States, including the Clean Air Act (1970) and the Clean Water Act (1972)
• The 1982 protests against the siting of a PCB landfill in Warren County, North Carolina, marked a pivotal moment in the environmental justice movement, highlighting the disproportionate burden of toxic waste on communities of color
• The 1991 First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit drafted the 17 Principles of Environmental Justice, which continue to guide the movement today
• The Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, was adopted in 1997, reflecting growing global concern about climate change

Influential Artists and Movements

• Land Art, also known as Earth Art, emerged in the 1960s and involved large-scale, site-specific sculptures and installations in natural settings (Robert Smithson's "Spiral Jetty")
• Eco-feminist art explores the connections between the oppression of women and the exploitation of nature, often using natural materials and collaborative processes (Mierle Laderman Ukeles' "Touch Sanitation")
• Activist art directly engages with environmental and social justice issues, using art as a tool for protest, education, and community mobilization (Mel Chin's "Revival Field")
  • The Guerrilla Girls, an anonymous feminist artist collective, use humor and bold graphics to expose gender and racial inequalities in the art world and beyond
• Environmental photography documents the beauty of nature, the impacts of human activities on the environment, and the efforts to protect and restore ecosystems (Ansel Adams, Sebastião Salgado)
• Upcycling art repurposes discarded materials into new artistic creations, highlighting issues of waste and consumerism (El Anatsui's bottle cap tapestries)
• Indigenous environmental art draws on traditional ecological knowledge and cultural practices to address environmental challenges and assert Indigenous rights (Jaune Quick-to-See Smith's mixed-media works)

Environmental Issues Addressed Through Art

• Climate change and global warming, often depicted through melting ice sculptures or installations visualizing rising sea levels (Olafur Eliasson's "Ice Watch")
• Deforestation and habitat loss, addressed through sculptures made from reclaimed wood or installations that mimic threatened ecosystems (Angela Haseltine Pozzi's "Washed Ashore")
• Water pollution and marine debris, highlighted through sculptures made from collected beach trash or participatory clean-up events (Alejandro Durán's "Washed Up")
  • Chris Jordan's "Midway: Message from the Gyre" photographs document the devastating impact of plastic pollution on albatross populations in the Pacific Ocean
• Air pollution and smog, visualized through public installations that change color based on air quality data or use air purification technology (Studio Roosegaarde's "Smog Free Tower")
• Food systems and agricultural practices, critiqued through crop art, seed saving projects, and community gardens (Claire Pentecost's "Soil-erg")
• Environmental racism and the unequal distribution of environmental hazards, exposed through community-based art projects and public interventions (Mel Chin's "Fundred Dollar Bill Project")
• Consumerism and waste, confronted through sculptures made from discarded objects or performances that highlight the absurdity of disposable culture (Chris Jordan's "Running the Numbers")

Artistic Techniques and Mediums

• Site-specific installations create immersive environments that respond to the unique characteristics of a particular location and engage viewers in a multi-sensory experience
  • Often ephemeral and designed to change over time, reflecting the dynamic nature of the environment
• Participatory art invites audience members to actively contribute to the creation or evolution of the artwork, fostering a sense of collective responsibility and empowerment
• Recycled and repurposed materials, such as plastic waste, discarded electronics, or reclaimed wood, are used to create sculptures and installations that comment on consumer culture and environmental degradation
• Living materials, including plants, fungi, and bacteria, are incorporated into artworks to highlight the interconnectedness of human and non-human life and to explore themes of growth, decay, and regeneration (Mel Chin's "Revival Field")
• Digital media, such as video projections, interactive displays, and virtual reality experiences, are used to visualize complex environmental data, simulate future scenarios, or transport viewers to remote locations
• Performance art and interventions in public spaces engage passersby in unexpected encounters that challenge assumptions and inspire reflection on environmental issues (Eve Mosher's "HighWaterLine")
• Collaborative and community-based projects involve local residents in the planning, creation, and maintenance of artworks that address site-specific environmental concerns and foster a sense of stewardship

Case Studies: Impactful Environmental Art Projects

• "Spiral Jetty" (1970) by Robert Smithson: A monumental earthwork sculpture constructed from rocks, salt, and soil that extends into the Great Salt Lake in Utah, USA, and changes appearance with fluctuating water levels
• "Wheatfield - A Confrontation" (1982) by Agnes Denes: A two-acre wheat field planted and harvested on a landfill in lower Manhattan, New York City, highlighting the potential for urban agriculture and the value of land
• "7000 Oaks" (1982-1987) by Joseph Beuys: A large-scale tree-planting project in Kassel, Germany, that involved the planting of 7,000 oak trees, each paired with a basalt stone, to renew the city's urban landscape and engage citizens in environmental action
  • The project has since been replicated in other cities worldwide, demonstrating the scalability and adaptability of the concept
• "Crossroads Community (The Farm)" (1974-1980) by Bonnie Ora Sherk: An early example of an urban ecological park and community center built on a former dumping ground in San Francisco, California, that integrated art, agriculture, and education
• "The Greenhouse Project" (2009-ongoing) by Marjetica Potrč: A series of community-based projects in various locations that involve the construction of small-scale, off-the-grid structures for sustainable living and local empowerment
• "Ice Watch" (2014-2019) by Olafur Eliasson: A series of installations in public spaces in European cities that featured large blocks of glacial ice, harvested from Greenland, to provide a tangible experience of climate change and its impact on the Arctic
• "The Tempestry Project" (2017-ongoing) by Justin Connelly, Marissa Connelly, and Emily McNeil: A collaborative fiber arts project that translates climate data into knitted or crocheted tapestries, with each color representing a specific temperature range, to visualize local and global temperature changes over time

Challenges and Criticisms

• The environmental impact of art production, including the use of toxic materials, energy consumption, and waste generation, can undermine the ecological message of the artwork
  • Some artists and institutions are adopting more sustainable practices, such as using recycled materials, renewable energy sources, and low-impact transportation methods
• The accessibility and elitism of environmental art, as many large-scale installations and land art projects are located in remote areas or require significant resources to visit, limiting their reach and impact
• The potential for environmental art to be co-opted or commodified by corporations or institutions seeking to greenwash their image or capitalize on the popularity of eco-conscious messaging
• The challenge of balancing aesthetic considerations with environmental activism and the risk of prioritizing form over function or substance
• The need for long-term maintenance and stewardship of environmental art projects to ensure their sustainability and ongoing impact, which can be difficult to secure due to limited funding and resources
• The cultural and political sensitivity of addressing environmental issues in different contexts, as local communities may have varying priorities, values, and perspectives on the role of art in environmental activism
• The difficulty of measuring the tangible impact of environmental art on policy, behavior change, and ecological outcomes, as the effects may be indirect, gradual, or difficult to attribute to a specific artwork or intervention

Future Directions and Emerging Trends

• The increasing use of bio-based and biodegradable materials in art production, such as mycelium, algae, and bacterial cellulose, to reduce the environmental footprint of artworks
• The growth of virtual and augmented reality technologies in environmental art, enabling immersive and interactive experiences that can reach wider audiences and simulate future scenarios
• The integration of citizen science and participatory research methods in environmental art projects, involving local communities in data collection, monitoring, and interpretation to inform artistic interventions and policy decisions
• The expansion of environmental art education and training programs, both within traditional art schools and through interdisciplinary collaborations with environmental studies, sciences, and engineering departments
• The development of green art galleries, museums, and cultural institutions that prioritize sustainability in their operations, exhibitions, and public programming, setting an example for the broader art world
• The increased focus on environmental justice and the intersection of social, racial, and economic inequalities in environmental art, acknowledging the disproportionate impacts of environmental degradation on marginalized communities
• The exploration of new forms of eco-art, such as bio-art, which uses living organisms and biotechnology as artistic media, and data-driven art, which visualizes and sonifies environmental data to create immersive and informative experiences
• The growing recognition of indigenous environmental art and the incorporation of traditional ecological knowledge and practices into contemporary art projects, fostering cross-cultural dialogue and collaboration