An artist panel was held at the MOCA museum, located in Downtown LA, on Aug. 25 where multiple artists discussed the topic of environmental issues and environmental justice.
The panel began around 7 p.m. where four artists discussed their work and how they approach sustainability through their art.
These artists use social justice, climate-related content and community activism to represent different approaches to sustainability.
Annabel Keenan the art advisor, writer and helped moderate the discussion around environmental issues.
“Artists are creative thinkers and they offer hope to finding solutions to global issues,” Keenan said.
An Ohio-based artist, Jonah Jacobs, spoke on the panel about his passion for nature which is what led him to make the type of art he does now and about the type of materials he uses for his art.
Jacobs uses up-cycled materials like oatmeal, quinoa, cardboard and cotton swabs to create organic-looking sculptures.
He is working on finding more eco-friendly alternatives down to the paint that he uses.
Madeline Hollander, a choreographer, and artist, uses movements and visual art as a response to environmental and social crises.
One of her art pieces, “Head/Tails,” is made up of headlights and taillights that she gathered from various junkyards and collision centers in Los Angeles.
All the lights are synced with the intersection at Walker Broadway in Manhattan, so when the light turns green, the tail lights go off.
During sunrise, the headlights go to their fog light setting and vice versa during sunset.
Hollander made this visual art to show her audience that people are choreographed and connected.
She shows how to find a comparison between human physicality and inanimate objects.
Patty Chang, a Los Angeles-based artist, who specializes in performance arts and teaches at the University of Southern California discussed her thoughts on what is a sustainable life.
Her three main points are: you are worthy, you are connected and there is balance; they’re all one form of health.
Humans are a part of our ecosystem and humans should operate in a healthier way that will make the earth better.
People can start by using reusable everyday essentials like a water bottle or a market bag.
Andrea Bowers, a Los Angeles-based artist, has been encouraging and amplifying activists’ works for a very long time now. She is involved in issues like immigration rights, workers’ rights, climate justice, and women’s rights.
Bowers is currently working with activists on greenwashing; she is committed to climate justice and believes that artists can be a big help.
Something that these artists have all struggled with is shipping and packaging and they say that it is very hard to find a company that offers sustainable solutions for the transportation of their art.
Jessica Guerrero, a student who attended the panel said, “It was really interesting [to see] how each artist was completely different and how they each had their own approach to sustainability.”
