Join us for the Contemporary Arts Center’s second annual Artist-in-Nature Exhibition in partnership with Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, hosted by MadTree Brewing.
Art and science collide through this two-week exhibition. Nine local artists spent the summer learning about low-impact art making and were tasked with creating an original piece that reflected their understanding of environmental issues and solutions in the Queen City. This year’s theme is Origins, where artists were conscious about the materials used in their pieces including using native, invasive, old, new, natural, synthetic, recycled, and upcycled materials.
“Watershed”
Jessica Wolf
Plastic bottles collected from the Mill Creek and surrounding watershed area, plastic bottle lids, dye made from acorns, hardboard, string, glass beads, and light. 24 x 24 x 28”
The origins of this piece began along the banks of the Mill Creek, a short 500 feet from my front door. Due to industrial dumping since the founding of Cincinnati, the creek was once dubbed the most polluted stream in the United States. While there have been drastic improvements in recent years, the creek is still a long way from being healthy and safe. After spending the day gathering litter from the banks of the Mill Creek, the ubiquitousness of single-use plastics has been at the front of my mind. Any litter discarded in the Watershed area has the potential of becoming a water pollutant in this already struggling stream.
I gathered these materials (ironically, mostly water bottles), then sanitized and manipulated them into flowing, water-like forms. The ombre of crystal clear to murky brown in the sculpture speaks to the on-going recovery of this waterway. Representing a hopeful outlook on the future of Mill Creek, the light of the chandelier is both practical and inspirational.
Resources
Mill Creek Alliance
The mission of the Alliance is to empower Mill Creek communities to protect and enhance the value of the Mill Creek, its tributaries, and watershed. Through inclusive, meaningful community engagement and collaborative action, the Alliance strives to create a Mill Creek watershed that is a healthy ecosystem where people and communities can thrive. Get involved here!
Break Free From Plastic
Read about how major global companies are “Missing the Mark” with false solutions to the plastic pollution crisis.
Learn how you can replace single-use plastics with reusable systems. #WeChooseToReuse
Read “How to Give Up Plastic” by Will McCallum