Environment Art : Communicating Climate Change Impact to a Broader Range of Audience
The past decades have seen a growing movement for the planet’s protection, and artists have been at the forefront of raising awareness on the need to do so. Now more than ever, various art works about climate change are finding their way in art galleries and museums. Yet some artists realized that they need to reach a broader rance of audience, prompting them to move to organic locations in sharing their environmental art.
As there is a need to communicate the severity of the environmental crisis, they now prefer to exhibit their art in public spaces like in parks and landscapes where they could be viewed by onlookers coming from all walks of life. The founder of the “Artists for Air” community Chistina Beckman explained the power of environment art in one of her tweets:
“Unlike charts, graphs and articles, art can capture imaginations and touch hearts in many ways.”
Art Activism Through Environmental Art
For many centuries, landscape artists have been passionate about depicting the Earth’s natural environment in all its beauty and grandeur, which elicited awe and awareness about the natural wonders.
The 20th century has produced a new breed of artists who create art works that focus on the worsening conditions of the physical world, as a way to raise awareness on the impact of human activities on the planet. Their art pieces aim to show the gradual degradation and deterioration of the many natural systems affecting the surroundings of the places in which we live.
The shift is now known as environment rather than landscape art, which has gained considerable attention since the 1990s. While non-believers of the global warming phenomenon prefer to call them art activists, environmental artists are conveying through their art the changes that have affected the health of the planet.
Removing the Power of Museums and Galleries Over the Art World
As environmental artists began to realize the importance of bringing their art works in exhibition spaces where art can be viewed by other members of the Earth’s population, doing so slowly removed the powers of art galleries and museum over the art world. Historically, those institutions had full control over the creation and the sale of art as well as the audience who can view them. However, they focus their interaction mainly on high-placed art dealers catering to the desires of the powerful and moneyed art collectors.
Now that environment artists look for organic and unique settings in which to exhibit their environment-themed creations, the art market has expanded in various places where art can move a audiences to allow art to create the desired impact.
A Friendly Reminder to Environment Artists When Setting Up Outdoor Exhibits
An often overlooked aspect when setting up outdoor locations for art exhibit is the need to protect the soil with protective ground mats. As the goal is to work harmoniously with nature rather than cause disruption, placing ground protection mats will protect the bare earth from soil compaction especially when heavy construction equipment will be used as part of groundwork preparations.
The heavy duty mats will help spread the pressure imposed by the weight equipment, vehicles, construction materials and workers on the soil. Otherwise, the occurrence of soil compaction is likely to happen, a condition that causes soil to clump, which not only increases density but also reduces porosity or ability to absorb water.