Three Rivers Arts Festival

Eco-Artists

4 June 2010 by Emily Chiodo in Artists Market, Environment

Many industries are examining the way they do business to determine where and when more earth-conscious decisions can be made. Artists and craftsmen have been keen to this idea for some time – long before “green” became trendy. One dedicated artist even compiled a rather practical and intuitive online how-to list filled with tips to help his peers become more eco-friendly. There’s no denying that this subject has been and continues to be on the minds of artisans.

As we at the Festival ask ourselves how to make even greater strides in our eco-friendly practices and processes, it only made sense that we ask the participants in our Artists Market what they are doing to positively impact the environment.

To our delight, a slew of responses came in, with participants eager to share their stories and their passion for making green more than just a selection from a palette of colors.

One major idea that clearly presented itself is the use of salvaged or repurposed materials within the finished piece.

• Local previous Emerging Artist Scholarship winner Alex Lobus exclusively uses salvaged wood, metal and glass in his art. Not only do these materials have the beautiful patina he is looking for, but no resources were exploited in the process of creating his art. Lobus also notes that the wood he uses is primarily ticketed for the landfill. (June 4-8, Plaza Booth 30)

Alex Lobus

• Stewart and Susan Webb make their jewelry and art from repurposed high tech materials from computers and electronics, as well as industrial, aerospace and military pieces. Their work just so happens to be sold locally at Carnegie Science Center. (June 9-13, Plaza Booths 54 and 55)
• Eco artist William Alburger rescues and salvages wood that showcases the beauty of weathering life’s storms. His respect for nature informs his art, which in turn highlights nature’s own unique way of signing each piece of wood. (June 4-8, Plaza Booth 11)
• A new addition to the artist market this year, Gerry Florida states that from an early age, she spent her time salvaging objects, reinventing uses and preserving the integrity of discarded materials. Florida uses a variety of salvaged, vintage and new materials in her work, including toy parts, hardware finds and holiday decorations to name a few. (June 11-13, Park Booth 40)

Geraldine Florida

• Laurie Leonard uses old keys she finds at flea markets and vintage beads and stones. Leonard has collected antique jewelry and the parts and pieces to repair the jewelry herself – instead of driving or shipping it to repair shops. She has passed down the idea of repurposing to her daughter, who uses Barbie Doll parts to make earrings. (June 4-8, Plaza Booth 40)

For many, the very process by which they create their artwork is the focus of greening efforts.

• Because stained glass creates a lot of scrap glass that gets wasted, Sheron Davis developed a cutting technique that eliminates much of that waste. She learned to create shapes that spoon each other so there is little to throw away, and smaller scraps are used in smaller pieces. Davis says she feels better about her work conserving glass — and also because she thinks it is simply too beautiful to throw out. (June 4-6, Park Booth 24)
  

Sheron Davis

• Vaughan Smith recycles all of his clays, glazes and slips. First, he soaks it all in water to create a slurry/liquid and then pours all of the residual materials into cut-off jeans legs. These are hung in the studio for a week until they are stiff enough to be run through a machine called a pug mill which creates a uniform column of clay to be used in future pieces. (June 4-8, Plaza Booth 80)
• Gary Ayres reduced electricity consumption by about 80% mostly in the firing process. Kiln furniture (the shelves and posts that support the work) has to be heated along with the product being fired. Ayres reduced the mass of his furniture by fabricating shelves with holes, which also allowed him to hang earrings close together, increasing his yield per firing. Ayres also started pulling his booth in a trailer behind his bicycle when doing local shows. You will see him commuting from his room in Pittsburgh on a recumbent bike.

And here are a few of the folks who let us know about multiple ways they have made changes, including greening the way they do business.

• Bud Scheffel’s business, Earth Saver Wind Sculpture, started as an environmentally-conscious store in 1987, where he also ran tree planting programs for more than 20 years. Scheffel incorporates recycled elements and found objects into his pieces whenever possible, and all of his packaging is post consumer and printed with soy based inks. (June 4-8, Plaza Booth 36)
• John Thomas, a photographer, was displeased by the amount of chemicals used in his art-making process, so he switched to digital printing. His matting is rag 100% cotton when possible. John also takes extra steps by using low voltage lighting in his booths and places his sold art in used bags. (June 4-8, Plaza Booth 3)

John Thomas

• Anders Anderson takes several eco-friendly actions in the course of making his ceramic tiles, including recycling and incorporating waste glaze materials into the clay body so that none goes into waste water or solid waste stream, and modifying commercially-built kilns with extra thermal insulation. He also located his studio near his residence to nearly eliminate commuting, and handles the majority of his business electronically. (June 9-13, Plaza Booth 74)

Of course sometimes it is difficult, if not impossible to change the age-old practices used in creating fine pieces of art, but it’s important to stay on top of advancements and be creative (downright ingenious even) when it comes to finding new ways to make a statement through your art.