In February, the Lopez Library and the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District announced a call for original artworks, to be included in a visionary community art exhibition at the Library, beginning Labor Day weekend, (September 4th) and remaining on display until October 15th, 2020. Our hope is that this show can still take place. The theme of the exhibit is “Creative Visions.” Originally, the call for works stipulated that all materials used to make the art would come from the Recycle plaza or Take It or Leave It, but given the prolonged closure of TIOLI, artists are welcome to use items from your own recycling, or things you already have (and don’t need to purchase new).
The Library and LSWDD are interested in helping hold a creative space of inquiry, education and connection during this time. To that end, we will be hosting creative artists salon around creating visions for a better future. These salons are free and open to all. We are focusing on a sustainable future that is headed towards zero waste, but there are infinite ways to see that path unfolding. These salons are focused around building energy and momentum to making work for the Creative Visions show. This show aims to inspire local creativity and imagination to produce innovative, artistic, playful, futuristic, maybe even improbable solutions to issues the planet faces regarding waste and recycling. All displayed works will be celebrated, and additionally one work will be selected as a “winner” through a community voting process. The winning artist will receive a $200 prize.
Please join Nikyta Palmisani every Thursday at 5pm in April for an engaging and educational Zoom Salon.
Join the Zoom Salons by clicking here.
Join the Zoom Salons by clicking here.
Or find the zoom links on www.lopezsolidwaste.org
In each session, there will be education and artistic inspiration, as well as a round robin check in and show and tell for artists making work in response to the group. You are welcome to use any media for your artistic response, and are in no way beholden to show your work unless you would like to.
If the salons prove popular, they will continue into May with different material focuses each week.
Here is an overview of the sessions in April:
April 9: Introduction and Inspiration:
From Recology’s Artist in Residence Program in San Francisco. This program has been successfully paying artists and producing tri-annual shows for the last 30 years! The artists are simply breathtaking as well as educational and innovative.
In this session, you will get an introduction to the program as well as explore a curated list of some of the artists.
We will also be discussing visioning a post-Covid world and the waste created, as well as interesting possible innovations.
April 16: PLASTIC!
This week will begin a deeper dive into the history and back story of waste and recycling as well as reuse. This first week will focus on plastics. A continuation of curated artists from Recology who use plastic as a dominate medium and discussion of future visions for this material and how it could be utilized in a more sustainable way.
April 23: TEXTILES!
In this week, we will learn stunning data on both global and Lopez textile recycling: where it goes, what happens to it, and how this can shift. Artists featured will be textile artists.
April 30: PAPER!
This week will be a learning about paper recycling, which is already in jeopardy of changing drastically in the very near future. As artists, many of us utilize paper as a mainstay media. So how can we recycle and repurpose paper in new and creative, or innovative ways? Perhaps even old ways that could be used well again?
To submit your works for consideration in the exhibition this fall, please email a digital image of your artwork (in JPEG format) to Malia Sanford, malia@lopezlibrary.org. The deadline to submit is Friday, August 14th.