Kermit says it’s good to be green, and with America’s energy consciousness escalating, “being green” is catching on. But the art of recycling is nothing new for many artists such as those exhibiting through February at the Dahl Arts Center.
Consider the intricate weavings of Maurice Shortt or the mixed media sculpture by Marshall Reaburn, each using recycled materials: plastic bags and paper in Shortt’s pieces and a Great Western Stove Plate painted vivid green in Reaburn’s. They are among the varied artwork in “Green: An Exhibit Based on the Word” on display in the Ruth Brennan Gallery.
For this competitively juried show, artists were asked to submit artwork based on the word “green.” The call to artists was mailed out to a limited regional mailing list and broadcast via
e-mail and other Internet sources. The show received 232 entries from 92 artists from the United States, China, Turkey and Japan. Of these entries, 46 pieces by 32 artists, including 22 artists from South Dakota, were selected to be part of the exhibit.
The pieces on display feature a wide variety of media, from silk dye, raku and fiber art to metal, photography and acrylics, and each carries an interpretation of the show’s theme, green, whether they are specifically made in a “green” fashion or offer a green subject or hue.
“I’m really interested in the recent artist movement toward sustainable art and making images,” said Katharyn Addcox, who has three pieces in the show, all images from her photo series of organic farmers in Illinois. She said the subject of the show interested her as well as its location in South Dakota, as she hoped to strike a chord with midwesterners who might have an agricultural background. Addcox’s “Morning Egg Check,” a striking photo of a middle-aged woman holding two chickens, won second place in the show.
Judging the pieces was Candace Forrette, a Rapid City native now living in Montana. She awarded Don Jones’ intriguing sculpture “Trap of Envy” as Best of Show, Addcox’s photo second, Melisse Laing’s fiber sculpture “Green Vessel” third and gave honorable mentions to pieces by Susanne Clawson, Denise DuBroy, Laing and Joseph Night.
“I am struck by how brave artists are,” Forrette said in her juror’s statement. “They speak from their hearts, to the best of their abilities, and put it out there for the world to see, to understand, to judge, to enjoy or not.”
The green exhibit is the first event of a three-part program at the Dahl titled “Green Cubed,” exploring the topic of green issues in the present, past and future and also sponsored by Democracy in Action and Friends of Rapid City Parks, to encourage a more sustainable lifestyle.
“Green really goes along with the context of sustainability,” said Dahl program assistant Jessica Miller as she explained the show’s theme. She was quick to point out that the entries didn’t have to be sustainable art, just have some context of green.
Having had success with a previous show titled “Red,” Miller said the idea of green just took off.
“We are now working with Democracy in Action to create a series,” Miller said. “They were inspired to show other issues that may come up from art.”
The second part of the series, “Past: The History of Green in Literary Form,” is scheduled for Jan. 17 and will feature Gerard Baker, superintendent at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, who will be joined by western South Dakota writers.
On March 20, the third installment will be “Future: Our Green Future – The Art of the Possible,” a forum on public policy that will feature a runway show of recycled fashion.
The “Green” exhibit will be on display through Feb. 8, so there is plenty of time to check out the artists’ work.
Perhaps Reaburn summed it up best in his artist’s statement: “Green is a state of mind and I am proud to be a part of something that I hope enhances people’s awareness. Plus, making art is just fun.”
