Beginning on Thursday, Sept. 19, the Hofstra University Museum of Art hosted an Environmental Impact exhibition, showcasing pieces of artwork that address the negative impact humans have on nature. Works from nine artists, both local and international, were displayed in an effort to bring awareness to the issue that has ravaged our environment for years.
“There is a variety of issues that are included in this exhibit, whether it’s debris that has washed up from the ocean onto beaches, or the effects of industrial development that’s changed the landscape,” said Karen Albert, the acting director and chief curator for the museum.
That issue of debris washing up on beaches was directly addressed by a piece from British artist Steve McPherson on display at the exhibit. McPherson’s assemblage work, titled “Matter No. 1,” is made entirely from debris that he collected along the northern coasts of the United Kingdom.
“An exhibition is like a thesis paper; you have a statement, but instead of having facts, you have artwork to support your statement,” Albert said. “For this exhibition, I focused on how human intrusion in the natural environment – [how] what we have done – has made changes.”
Long Island resident Janet Culbertson had two works included in the exhibition, “BUY,” and “HELP,” both of which depicted decrepit billboards standing tall above wasteland-esque landscapes, each featuring the word they are titled for.
“[Billboards] pollute our country, and they also have a message,” Culbertson said. The consequences of human impact on nature has been an issue of interest for Culbertson since her childhood in Pennsylvania.
“I think I was 9 or 10 when we would go canoeing in a river, and this clear turquoise water started to get yellow, then orange, and then it had rocks floating in it from the nearby mine tailings,” she said. “The pollution was not controlled. It was distressing to see, and when I got into art, I thought, ‘I have to have a message.’ So, it’s a balance of making an interesting picture with texture and craftsmanship, and also getting across an idea.”
Some other works included in the exhibition included Daniel Beltrá’s “SPILL” series, depicting the effects of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, images from Edward Burtynsky showing aerial views of a fish farm off the Chinese coast and the effects of oil theft and paintings from Diane Burko exploring the potential demise of coral reefs.
“The artists are also very much activists,” she continued. “A lot of them are doing this with the intention to show that not only do people need to know that this is happening, but what can we do to make it better.”
The exhibition will be available to view at the Emily Lowe Gallery behind Lowe Hall until Friday, Dec. 13, and a roundtable discussion titled, “Art into Action,” is slated for Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the gallery.