Global Green Holiday Rituals

With the holidays upon us, a lot of global holidays have built-in green rituals. Cultures worldwide can inspire us to find our own new holiday traditions with a festive flair of sustainability. Maybe you can weave one of these into your seasonal holidays this year.

German Christian markets, known as Weihnachtsmärkte, have both a lively, festive atmosphere and a focus on local handicrafts. Homemade gifts are the center of sustainability with their wooden ornaments, beeswax candles, and repurposed crafts all made by local artisans. This tradition encourages shoppers to buy items that last, support the community, and reduce commercialized packaging and transportation waste. Plus, the market stalls, lights, music, and camaraderie build up a social, community vibe.

If you found yourself in Finland on Christmas eve, you'd find yourself in the middle of a warm and toasty wood-fired sauna tradition! The heating of the sauna, bringing in natural birch branches, and focusing on the peace that comes from within. Family gather together feasts of local food helps cherish the joy of simplicity, the connection of families with nature, and the peach of the season.

"Down Under" in Australia and across southern Africa, December means summer. Given the seasonal warmth, families come outdoors to host festive gatherings and picnics. Fresh, local produce is at the center of these. Additionally, many folks add traditions such as kplanting native trees or organizing beach clean ups. What a wonderful way to combine celebrations, stewardship, and joy... nurturing nature along the way.

The Japanese custom of furoshiki transforms gift-giving into a creative art. Instead of using paper or plastic to wrap gifts, beautiful cloth is used to elegantly wrap presents. This is at the height of recycling and reusing materials, significantly cutting down waste. It is a delightful way to wrap a gift in love... for both the recipient and the planet!

Scottish Hagmanay traditions mark the New Year with renewal-centered rituals. The families "redd" their homes, meaning they thoroughly clean them out. This extends to local parks & waterways to community clean ups, symbollizing the fresh start to both their home & environment. Likewise, many Native American Winter Solstice ceremonies give thanks to the earth & harvest, over shared meals & planting trees.

From European cities to Asian villages, lantern and light festivals highlight the return of longer days. Handmade lanterns and candles fill the streeets. The bounty of light serves as metaphors for hope, environmental renewal, and community togetherness. Lanterns are often made of recycled or natural materials and occasionally use reusable lights. Community clean-ups also mark the festival of lights.

In this commemoration of global rituals, one thing stands out: celebration and conservation can go hand in hand. Whether it’s supporting local artisans, decorating with natural items, working together as a community to take part in a clean up, or living life with a simpler approach... joy and sustainability serve each other beautifully. 

What lessons can you take from these traditions this year?

All images created in Canva.com.

Endangered Animals: Where A Pixel Is Worth 1000 Words

In the category of "a picture says 1000 words"... How much does a pixel say? 

Here, I think both the pictures and pixels say a lot. 

 

University of Maryland student Josh Smith (whose Imgur screen name is JJSmooth44), used the 2008 WWF project Population by Pixel as inspiration to his own photo/design series. Using a computer generated design program, he used the number of pixels per picture of an endangered animal to show the equivalent number of animals left per species. What this means is that the more undistinguishable and pixilated the picture is, the more endangered or close to extinction the animal is. 

 

 

Josh Smith's series went viral nearly 4 years ago in our pre-pandemic world in September 2019, yet it has started circulating once again with views nearing 150,000.  This level of art-meets-environmentalism visualization can certainly pack a punch--especially when comparing those images that are sharply in focus (meaning the species is flourishing) versus those poorly-pixilated animal pictures.

 

In one article I read, it discussed that now that our human population has surpassed 8 billion people, the level of high resolution of that picture would have shown the most minute details, including being alert to zoom in to see individual facial pores.

Every Pixels is one animal. The more pixelated the image, the closer it is to extinction.

Images from https://yupthatexists.com/photographer-takes-photos-of-endangered-species-using-the-same-number-of-pixels-as-there-is-animals-left-in-existence/ and https://petapixel.com/2019/10/01/photos-of-endangered-species-where-every-pixel-represents-one-animal/

 

CNN Heroes 2022

This past Sunday, Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa hosted the now-annual "CNN Heroes: An All Star Tribute." This year marks the 16th year that everyday heroes have been honored for their humanitarian achievements for making the world a better place. 

In a world filled with too-often every-day-bad news, having a program dedicating 2 hours to sharing good news, triumphs, and movement to better the world, warms the heart. It goes to show that everyday people ARE indeed our heroes and the change makers we need. It is the everyday inspiration that we need, and the holiday season is the perfect time for this to air. 

The alphabetical list below is the top 10 CNN Heroes from 2022 and their innovative ideas, from CNN's Press Room site.

💛 Carie Broecker, Peace of Mind Dog Rescue  [from Pacific Grove, CA] -- Creating volunteer services for elderly dog and their owners who are struggling to care for their pets with dignity by helping them in their own homes, or finding the pets new long-lasting homes.

💛 Richard Casper, CreatiVets  [from Nashville, TN] -- Offering combat veterans emotional support and therapy through creative art, music, songwriting, storytelling, and healing through his own experience as a former Marine in Iraq. 

💛 Nelly Cheboi, TechLit Africa  [from Mogotio, Kenya & Shabbona, IL] -- Stemming from her Kenyan, poverty experience, she pairs her passion of computer science to provide tech skills on upccycled computers to slice the cycle of poverty for others through education. 

💛 Nora El-Khouri Spencer, Hope Renovations  [from Carrboro, NC] -- Breaking gender boundaries by providing training in the construction field for women, non-binary, and gender-queer individuals, and using those skills to help modify homes to make them more safe for seniors.

💛 Tyrique Glasgow, Young Chances Foundation  [from Philadelphia, PA] -- Growing from his own 5 year incarceration from drugs and building his community by creating a center to prove safe opportunities for his neighborhood. Through education, resources, youth programs, and support, he builds and lifts his community up. 

💛 Teresa Gray, Mobile Medics International  [from Anchorage, AK] -- Working as a paramedic and nurse to get volunteer medics where they are needed for care and support for those encountering natural disasters and humanitarian situations.

💛 Meymuna Hussein-Cattan, The Tiyya Foundation  [from Santa Ana, CA] -- Supporting refugees and asylum seekers to help them transition to American life, sharing their culture and their food through her LA restaurant "Flavors from Afar."

💛 Aidan Reilly, The Farmlink Project  [from Santa Ana, CA] -- Created a nationwide web of volunteers to address food waste and insecurity, redirecting excess food from farms to people in need.

💛 Debra Vines, The Answer Inc  [from Maywood, IL] -- Provides underserved minority families of children and adults on the autism spectrum with assistive services and education.

💛 Bobby Wilson, Metro Atlanta Urban Farm  [from Atlanta, GA] -- Educating, feeding, and healing his community in ways to grow and prepare their own healthy food.

While all 10 of these individuals were recognized as the top ten CNN heroes, overall CNN Hero of the year this year went to Nelly Cheboi based on viewer voting. 

Suburu backed the voting and donations to each cause. If any of these inspire you, you too may donate to any of these individuals and their causes. To learn more, check out the CNN Hero Website, where you can also nominate heroes for 2023. It is worth checking out your television provider to see if you can catch the December 11th, 2022 program On Demand.

Image from https://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2022/11/03/top-10-cnn-heroes-of-2022-announced-2/; video from https://youtu.be/AnME9LEok0c

Mighty Leaf Mosaics

The winds and rain whirled powerfully around the last 2 nights from the aftermath of Hurricane Nicole making her way up the Atlantic Coast. Watching as the leaves whipped by my window, it reminded me of something beautiful I saw earlier in the week on social media.

Every year, it's a welcome surprise how beautiful leaves are as they light our landscape on fire with their changing reds, oranges, yellows, browns, and purples. Yet, Nikola Faller has shown how those leaves can be repurposed again into a different kind of art. Annually and autumnly Nikola Faller, an academic sculptor and land artist from Osijek, Croatia creates amazing works of art that are perfect for drone photography. Designing a pattern then raking leaves into shape, Faller creates colorful, amazing, earthy mosaics. Leaves and rakes (and perhaps even a well-placed leaf blower) serve as the medium he uses to create these mosaics. The grassy ground acts as his green canvas. His museums are local parks nearby, and he showcases his work on his Slama.Land.Art Instagram page.

Off-season, with no leaves in sight, his canvases are beaches with his art meticulously drawn in the sand... or straw-based art after harvest. To find more images that are specifically fall-focused, check out AmazingPlaces.com's article entitled "Artist Creates Art from Falling Leaves."

Once again, proving just how beautiful, rewarding, and powerful nature can be.

Pics from https://www.facebook.com/patricia.wheeler.311/posts/pfbid05LZN1oXnPzqFAKgxWGvpZgJ647HGW2UBMZX59up9WjYaVk1AD7bS9Thj4QBLoR7sl and https://www.amazingplaces.com/news/artist-creates-art-from-falling-leaves/

Turning Industrial Waste into Art Installations

Making trash into treasure is a frequent favorite of mine. This video highlights the art of 7 Egyptian artists have created art installations entirely from factory waste materials such as scrap wood, iron, and plastic. The challenge was to create a display out of things that are typically not noticed. Upcycling these items to draw attention to sustainability through art was part of the artists' mission. These are on display at the Alamein Art Festival from the end of July 2022 through August.

Video from https://youtu.be/YCbgJ7ntJYo

Summer Solstice 2022

Today is Tuesday, June 21, 2022... Summer Solstice. The longest day of the year. The shortest night. The first day of summer. The pinnacle for summer, sunlight loving people. 

Here in this season of summer solstice and highlighted sunlight, I share this blessing and beautiful art from Stephanie Laird. May well-being and peace be yours.

Art from https://pixels.com/featured/a-beautiful-pagan-summer-solstice-original-blessings-poem-with-oak-tree-and-sun-stephanie-laird.html and shared with the embed code from this website.

Nathan Sawaya: LEGO Artist for the Earth

Nathan Sawaya's story fascinates me. Not many people go from lawyer to LEGO artist with a traveling art exhibit of his own, but Nathan did in 2007. I was in awe years ago when I saw his Art of the Brick exhibit (then in Philadelphia). It's amazing to see what he can do with buckets full of LEGOs. Sharing his story becomes a favorite for both my kindergarten students and me as I share this video and inspire them all to use the design process to become creators and LEGO innovators.

For the last year, Nathan has a new element to his Art of the Brick exhibit. Working with Australian-born photographer Dean West, they created the PERNiCiEM Collection. PERNiCiEM is Latin for extinction. This part of the Art of the Brick exhibit highlights endangered species with a mix of Nathan's LEGOs and Dean's photography. They feature fascinating facts about 18 animals in 19 exhibits. Included are where on the ICUN Red List of Threatened Species these animals are and why their numbers have diminished. (Spoiler alert--human threat to habitation or humans themselves are often the cause.)

 

The message in their collective art is that it is imperative to work to save our planet from climate change, deforestation, declining sea ice, polluted waters, and loss of species and biodiversity--for if we don't and these animals become extinct, only the plastic, LEGO-fied versions of these animals will be left. Reality will cease to be that, instead going more toward an artificial reality where we can only see these animals in their natural habitats through art, photography, or a digitized version of our world. 

 

 

The showcased animals in PERNiCiEM were created by Nathan, then they were taken to their natural oceanic, forest, grassland or arctic habitats and photographed by Dean.  The included animals:

• African Elephant
• Arctic fox
• Beluga whale
• Chilean flamingo 
• Cheetah
• Giraffe
• Hawksbill turtle
• Humpback whale
• Malayan tiger
• 
  Military macaw
• Northern white rhinoceros 
• Orca
• Polar bear
• Reef shark
• Sumatran orangutan
• Vaquita
• Western lowland gorilla
• Whale shark

This is not the first time that Dean West & Nathan Sawaya have worked together. They are also featured in the "In Pieces" exhibits marrying Dean's photography with Nathan's LEGO creations in a series of several works of art.

 

The PERNiCiEM portion of The Art of the Brick is currently on display in San Francisco and in Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry (until September 5, 2022). If you can't make it to either of these locations, the be sure to check out the animals and art on the PERNiCiEm Collection website.

 

Video from https://youtu.be/8CP9hzSm60Y and https://ktla.com/morning-news/california-science-center-adds-new-exhibition-perniciem-the-endangered-species-connection/; Images from https://arteza.com/blogs/articles/artseen-art-gallery-spotlights-for-june and https://www.gulftoday.ae/culture/2021/04/25/nathan-sawaya-uses-toy-lego-as-a-medium-of-art-and-exhibits-his-artwork-on-earth-day

Google Arts & Culture Experiments

I've been doing some investigating around Google Arts & Culture. Not surprising given it's connection to Google, there is definitely a wealth there!!

One of the really interesting parts of the Google Arts & Culture world is their Experiments, which is self-labeled as "the crossroads of art and technology, created by Artists and Creative Coders." 

Currently, there are 80 Arts & Culture experiments [though, at this writing, there are 1605 Google Experiments total on a wider scope than just the Arts & Culture Collection]. Of these, here are a few that have environmental tie-ins. You definitely could get lost here, spending a lot of time exploring each one!

🎨 Voices for Change--A Global Goals World -- A 3D virtual experience to learn about the 17 United Nations Sustainable Goals. Mixed in are 1500 voices and comments from people from 60 countries.

🎨  Pollinator Pathmaker -- Design a garden that's a pollinator's dream. When you finish, you get a certificate of authenticity along with planting instruction to bring to you own backyard.

🎨 Cold-Flux -- Discover what can happen to our polar icecaps as global temperatures rise.

🎨 Medusae -- Data visualization that shows what happens to jellyfish populations when water temperatures rise and acidify, and those waters are overfished.

🎨 The Lagoon -- A visual collage to show you what can happen to a coastal city as water rises.

🎨 Climate Change Impact Filter -- Hundreds of pictures and a sliding scale to raise or lower temperature show you what can happen to 62 species (plus human-created items) if our global temperature rises.

🎨 Plastic Air -- With microplastics in the air, unseen, this gives you an opportunity to see what you can't see but are breathing in.

🎨 Coastline Parodox Filter -- Take a look at actual and predicted global sea level rising due to the effects of climate change.

🎨 Diving into an Acidifying Ocean -- Interactive data visualization that shows the effect of warming oceans on marine life.

🎨 Timelines -- With the help of drone footage over two glaciers in Switzerlandand Google Earth, take a look at the glacial retreat over the last 140 years.

🎨 What We Eat -- Data visualizations of what you eat and the carbon footprint it holds.

Image created at www.canva.com; Videos from https://youtu.be/PHZfhpErLSA, https://youtu.be/IN3YzdziqBY

Floating Faucet of Plastic

Clamshell carryout containers.

Red solo cups.

Plastic bottles.

Straws.

Take-out utensils: Forks, Sporks, Spoons, Knives....all wrapped in plastic.

This is just a fraction of the carnage the last 20 months of pandemic carryout and ordering in. In fact, single use plastic has been up 250-300% since the pandemic began. As we shifted to single use items to help keep the Covid germs at bay, our consumption of plastic and single use items skyrocketed...which also means so did our waste and our over-reliance on plastic. 

In an effort to show how important it is to "turn off the plastic tap," Ben Von Wong created a 3-story art installation of a faucet pouring out plastic. Ben is known for other environmental installations including ones comprised of 168,000 straws, 18,000 plastic cups, or 10,000 plastic bottles. Part of what he wanted to show in this installation and the number of pictures he took was that "there is no away." We attempt to "throw things away," but this place does not exist. Nor can you "recycle things away." Plastic Pollution is a real problem, and one that needs a solution.

It's actually a really good message to keep in mind as we wrap up Thankgsiving, move past Black Friday (and their weekend deals), approach Cyber Monday, and make our way to Christmas. (Do you really need all of that plastic that's out there, tempting your wallet?!?)

To see more images of all of his installations, check out his website.

Image from https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/blog/2021/10/4/turn-off-the-plastic-tap, Video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8ZJypW2IRw&t=24s

Vaccine Vials Repurposed to Shed Light During a Dark Year

 I'm always a fan of repurposing objects to turn them into something useful or something beautiful. 

A nurse in Colorado did just that.

As reported by CNN's Lauren M. Johnson in her September 5th, 2021 article "Colorado Nurse Transforms Covid Vaccine Vials Into a Work of Art to Show Appreciation for Health Care Workers," retired nurse Lauren Weiss converted numerous Moderna glass Covid-19 vaccine vials into a a stunning chandelier. Not only did she want to see the vials not go to waste, but wanted to create something of meaning. Weiss purposely wanted to create something to bring about light, hope, and beuaty during a dark pandemic-filled year. Additionally, Weiss hopes it serves as a tribute to the healthcare workers who have done so much for all during the last 18 months.

May it shed some light onto the power, hope, and health that the vaccines have brought us all in fighting Covid-19 and its variants during this pandemic.

Image from https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/05/us/nurse-creates-chandelier-moderna-vaccine-vials-trnd/index.html

Patrick Dougherty's Latest & Local Environmental Creation

Beautiful environmental sculptures in basically your backyard are rare and exceptional treats. 

That's exactly how I felt as I meandered through Patrick Dougherty's latest installation at Maryland Hall in Annapolis entitled "Old Home Place." It was an additional delight for me to be in the middle of one of Patrick's works given I had researched and written about him in December 2020. 

Meandering through the structure made of sticks and saplings at the base of an already full and lush tree, I felt instant peace in the little hidey-hole structures surrounding the trunk of the tree. I'd love to bring in a book and curl up inside. It's a total dream treehouse to my inner child, and took me back to the little hidden getaway I had as a child underneath two tall twin evergreen trees in our yard. I remember having picnics, secret meetings, and just enjoying life in that hideaway. It was the same feeling I had while wandering in the little "huts" here.

In order to make this structure, it took four truckloads of local sycamore, sweet gum, and willow branches collected from Maryland's Eastern Shore in early May. Depending on the weather, this environmental art is slated to last for 1-3 years. 

A panoramic view from inside one of the "huts."

A selfie inside

Thank you to Patrick Dougherty for sharing his work with us here in Annapolis. "Old Home Place" is now part of his amazing body of work which includes over 300+ pieces he's created worldwide! So wonderful to have this special spot so close to home. It's a perfect place to go, unwind, and unplug!

To learn more, check out these Capital Gazette articles about Patrick Dougherty creating this installation:

• "Artist Patrick Dougherty Brings Unique Awareness of Trees to Maryland Hall in Annapolis." (May 9, 2021)
• "Artist Patrick Dougherty Completes Sculpture at Maryland Hall|"  (May 22, 2021)

Pictures taken from my camera at Maryland Hall. Title picture created at canvas.com. 

Mount Recyclemore At G-7

20,000 pieces of electronic waste all in one place is sizable to begin with. 

Put those pieces together in an artistic installation--it causes people to take notice. 

Put them into the faces of 7 world leaders AND put them on the beach across the Carbis Bay Hotel in St. Ives, Cornwall, United Kingdom where the G7 Summit is taking place--it makes national news.

Welcome to Mount Recyclemore!

Reminds me a bit about Mount Trashmore!

Mount Recyclemore was created by artist Joe Rush & musicMagpie (a second hand electronics store) with the help of 15 artists over the course of 6 weeks. It was first created in Rush's south London studio scrapyard then shipped to Cornwall to be erected in time for last week's G7 Summit. The G7 is the "Group of Seven" organization of leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and the Summit was held during the 3 days of June 11-13, 2021. 

The reason behind this creation: to spotlight electronic waste, its harm to the environment, and the need for it to be more easily recyclable and reusable. It is especially true given that some of the worst e-waste heavy hitters being developed nations. E-waste leaches chemicals into the soil or water if sent to landfills, or becomes hazardous air pollution if burned. Both of these are major contributors to environmental destruction and climate change. Additionally, materials in phones, laptops, monitors, and other tech waste include precious materials from limited resources where the extraction process adds major impact to our planet. Especially when e-waste is the fastest growing waste stream right now.

Taking the lead from South Dakota's Mount Rushmore's 4 presidential faces, this structure highlights the following seven leader's faces (in order from left to right):

• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson
• Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga
• French President Emmanuel Macron
• Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi
• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel
• U.S. President Joe Biden

With climate change and Covid-19 being two of the top issues of the Summit, Mount Trashmore as a creation of discarded tech becomes an important symbol for the environment. 

After the Summit's end on Sunday, June 13th, the plan is to move Mount Recyclemore to musicMagpie’s headquarters in Stockport, Greater Manchester.

Image from https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2021/06/g7-leaders-mount-recyclemore-waste-sculpture-cornwall/; video from https://youtu.be/BChR8p51p2k

Snow & Ice Sculpturist Andy Goldsworthy

Outdoor art and creativity must really be speaking to me. A few weeks ago I shared Simon Beck's snow drawings. Here's some more winter-inspirational artistic snow-goals, this time from Andy Goldworthy. His "Ice & Snow Ephemeral Sculptures" showcase the beauty of winter.

To learn more, check out the post "Andy Goldworthy's Ice & Snow Ephemeral Sculptures" over at AesthesiaMag or Andy's work and bio over at ArtNet. Additional information about his environmental ideas and nature mediums is over at "Living Your Wild Creativity."

Images from https://aesthesiamag.wordpress.com/2017/12/31/andy-goldsworthys-ice-and-snow-ephemeral-sculptures/

Rethink Recycling Student Art Virtual Gallery.

The proverb "One man's trash is another man's treasure" is at the heart of recycled art. 

As part of 2020's America Recycles Day on November 15th, Maryland's Department of the Environment [MDE] created "Rethink Recycling" sculpture contest to promote recycling and innovative thinking. The contest was opened up to Maryland High School students this past fall.

Click here to see MDE's Secretary Ben Grumbles' video introduction to the contest. You can then go to the MDE's Online Sculpture Gallery of 70 students' creative artworks created entirely from recycled materials. 

In the past, this annual competition has been held in person--of course, it's no surprise that this year, due to Covid, the contest had to be held in a more innovative way online. Students created their sculptures from repurposed and recycled items, photographed their finished products, and then submitted them to the virtual gallery where online voting chose the winners, who were publicly announced November 24, 2020,

This year's winners were both from Linganore High School in Frederick:

• Peyton Johnson, "Salvarnos" (Spanish for "save us")
• Materials: Discarded cans, PVC pipe, & previously used chicken wire 
• Inspiration: “There are many species of macaws that are critically endangered. I love these birds and never want them to go extinct.”

• Tatum Hart, “Where Some Sea Waste…,” 
• Materials: Old set of camping utensils from her family's recycle bin.
• Inspiration: "As I have gotten older, I have become more aware of polluted waters and dying animals. I hope to inspire others to recycle and be mindful of their environmental impact."

 

“Maryland’s youthful artists inspire us all to reduce, reuse, recycle, and rethink waste so we can keep protecting the environment and fighting climate change.” 

~ Ben Grumbles, Maryland Department of Environment Secretary

Quote image created on canva.com; recycled images from https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/LAND/RecyclingandOperationsprogram/Pages/recycled-sculpture.aspx

Creativity & Connection In the Time of Covid

During my Winter Break, I had a grand opportunity to catch up with my college roommate from our senior year. (Side note: College was over half a life time ago!!) Facebook of course has been doing a fabulous job of connecting everyone for the last dozen years, but I haven't "seen seen" her in probably 2 decades--if not more! This time, however, it was "live and in person." Well, as "live and in person" as you can in the middle of the pandemic when you live on opposite coasts. We met up in a Zoom creative workshop that she was hosting on collage making. With a whole lot of extra holiday time on my hands due to not traveling, taking part seemed to be a no-brainer.

In former days gone by, I was a big time scrapbooker.... but these days, most of my art and photographs tends to be digital. Canva.com is how I make a lot of my GTG art. I live on my computer! But, I still have a lot of good supplies, and I know my way around scissors and a glue stick. As I suspected, the hands-on, physical nature (tied in with the open forum to let my creative juices flow) did this girl's body and mind some good that afternoon!

Our 3-hour class was intimate with only two other folks (whom I had never met before)--one from the upper Northwest and one from Mexico. But truly, with Zoom, less is more! Too many people becomes hard to jockey for conversation. And, those 3 hours easily turned to 4 as we all parallel played with our creating in true quilting bee fashion. My old former roommate (Old?! We're not old!!) and I picking up without ever missing a beat AND she got drive-bys of my kids--something you don't get in Facebook photos alone! Plus, I got to meet two amazing new people. We all chatted of our own personal pandemic pandemoniums, covering a range of 2020 topics, trials, & tribulations, as well as the upcoming new year. 

My college collage pal was open and flexible in her facilitating, and it ebbed into each of the 4 of us having our own approach to the workshop. I went in with an open mind, not really sure what I was going to create... and sometimes that is the very best way to do it. I loosely went with my One Word "Heal" ponderings, and as I went to retrieve some material to slice-and-dice for collage making, my 2020 wall calendar (along with a holiday catalog) seemed like the absolute perfect medium to chop to bits. There certainly was something cathartic and healing about destroying such a rough year--then rebuilding it to something better. An excellent creative use in repurposing!

My final product ended up being a poster of sorts, with a pocket of motivational cards that I could switch up or revisit as needed. For right now, I'm not sure where I'm going to hang it, but I'm feeling like it will land on the wall of my office at school. Here's my "collage-a-majiggy poster-y thingy."

And here are my cards which live in their 2021 pocket:

One of the things that was particularly satisfying at the end of our collage quilting bee was the variety of the everyone's outcome. One of our collage-mates had a wonderful board book where her creations could live. Another fellow artisan had drawings mixed with paint and collage. My style was probably somewhere in the quirky eclectic contemporary neighborhood (or something like that). Our fearless leader's style rests heavily in vintage--a wonderful way to repurpose items and tap "into the rich history that was." In fact, you can learn more over at her hooray4lala Etsy shop. Be sure to click her "Read more" which definitely delights my heart!

Catching up with old longtime friends AND meeting new, inspiring, interesting people definitely does a heart good. So too does a dose of creativity layered on top. Perhaps that right there is the best collage yet, and just perfect in the time of Covid!

Banner screenshot for @hooray4lala's Etsy shop from https://www.etsy.com/shop/lrobinson?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=913405222; Other photos of my handiwork from this collage workshop!

Patrick Dougherty Environmental Sculptures

When it comes to sculptures, we've all seen them created out of clay, stone, metal, plaster, glass, wood, even wax.

It's more rare to encounter one made out of sticks. But that is exactly the medium of choice of Patrick Dougherty, stick sculptor. His work will be showcased at Maryland Hall in Annapolis, Maryland May 3-21, 2021

A carpenter who loves nature, Patrick created his first piece, the Maple Body Wrap, in 1982. Since then, he has created over 300 large scale works which required truckloads of saplings on at least 3 continents.

From his website, between now and then (and for the remainder of 2021), here are the planned installations ahead. Sounds like they would be worth checking out if they are in your neighborhood: 

• 01/2021 Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA
• 02/2021 BRIT, Fort Worth, TX
• 03/2021 Biltmore, Asheville, NC
• 04/2021 Patterson School, Lenore, NC
• 05/2021 Maryland Hall, Annapolis, MD
• 06/2021 Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst, NC
• 07/2021 The Wild Center, Tupper Lake, NY
• 09/2021 Sidewalk Detroit, Detroit, MI
• 10/2021 Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
• 11/2021 Naples Botanical Garden, Naples, FL

To learn more about Patrick Dougherty and see some of his stick sculptures, check out his website or watch the videos below. May his inspiration from nature help inspire creativity within you. Nature and art abound!! 

Photo from https://www.capecodmuseumtrail.com/event/patrick-dougherty-stick-sculpture/; Videos from https://vimeo.com/329440823 and https://youtu.be/Jiwn9rTHvL4

Face Masks for a Cause

Once you start looking up some product, it's amazing how your Facebook feed starts giving you all sorts advertisements of items in that category. With the coronavirus still lurking out there and masks & hand washing coming up as definite deterrents, building my "cute face mask collection" has been one of my recent quests. And, with the potential of a vaccine still being a ways away, face masks are going to be with us for awhile.

Given all of that, it's obvious that more and more places are finding their footing in the face mask market. Here are a few companies I've been particularly impressed with as they are not only making masks, but they are doing it for a cause.

These two I have happened upon given my own personal exploration and recommendations from friends:

Cotopaxi: Named after an active "stratovolcano" in the Andes in Ecuador, Cotopaxi's founder Davis Smith wanted to pay tribute to the poverty he saw while growing up in Latin America. Every Cotopaxi purchase gives 1% to support poverty and community development. They also have a grant program where they promote multiple organization to help improve living communities as well expecting ethical work environments from their suppliers. Their company creed: "Do Good." The have a significant environmental philosophy and use recycled items when possible--and scrap fabric is the basis of their mask making efforts. Also, when you buy in bulk, they give the same amount of face masks to those in. need.

Mango & Main: An Annapolis-based store (though the e-commerce came first), Mango & Main is part of the Fair Trade Federation and supports "artisan entrepreneurs" from 23 countries across the globe. Their business values center around making a positive impact, creating opportunities, promoting fair wages & safe working conditions, respecting cultural identity, cultivating environmental stewardship, and ensuring the rights of women & children. Given it's Maryland store, I literally can shop locally and globally simultaneously.

But wait, there's more: These 48 others clearly show me that it's a very good business model that a lot of companies are adopting!  Check out: Who What Wear's "48 Face Masks to Buy From Brands That Are Giving Back"


Logos from https://entrepreneurship.wharton.upenn.edu/blog/launch-pad-davis-smith-g11wg11-founder-cotopaxi/ and https://www.facebook.com/mangoandmain/; Mask images from https://mangoandmain.com/collections/accessories/face-mask and https://www.cotopaxi.com/pages/teca-cotton-face-mask.

Tempestry Revisited

Tempestry's Color Palette

The Tempestry Project is not a new concept to me. I wrote about it a little over a year ago and that post gives a great overview of what it is.

For those of you who are curious, here's the short story:

A tempestry is a temperature tapestry that is either knitted or crocheted, using a very specific color palette tied to temperature data from NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration). Each line of the tapestry details either the day in one year or the average yearly temperature in a block of years. The standardization of the colors makes it possible to globally compare the climate data via this visual display.

One of my most meaningful birthday gifts a few weeks ago was from an eco-minded friend of mine who is skilled in the fiber arts. Opening the box delivered in the mail revealed my very own Tempestry!

I still look at it a bit stunned and blown away by all of it--the meaningfulness of the gift, the time it took her to make it (knowing my li'l eco-self would love it), and the data that it reveals. Additionally, as news just came out this week, 2019 is on track to be the Earth's 2nd or 3rd hottest year on record. (According to NOAA's records, 2015 gets the "honor" of being #1.) As I texted my dear friend and Tempestry creator, looks like we'd be adding another row of Garnet...making this gift more timely than ever.

My Tempestry is similar to Ed Hawkins' "Warming Stripes" image below. Both show the Annual Global Temperatures from 1880--2018. In mine above, an up-close look shows the decade tabbed by the side and all 138 years of recorded data. Not only is this Tempestry visually striking, it's eye-opening as it clearly shows the warming of our planet.

Interestingly, the Tempestry Project was born in 2016--the same year that Ed Hawkins created the "Warming Stripes" visualization of Annual Global Temperatures. The Warming Stripes page from Ed Hawkin's Climate Lab Book website has several Warming Stripes pictures. It is fascinating to compare other visual data from a variety of locations.

I will say, I like my fiber arts version of warming stripes the best of all. 😉 For those of you who want to do a deep dive in the numbers of the average temperature, the climate data/color chart for my tempestry is available on The Tempestry Project's website. ❤️🧡💛💙



Images from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tempestry_Project#/media/File:Color_Card_F_and_C.jpg and the collage I made from my own Tempestry gift.  "Warming Strips" image from https://showyourstripes.info

Creative Uses for Cardboard

As the Technology Specialist who talks a lot about the Design Process at school--both in and out of our Maker Lab, these images from the Bioconstruccion's Facebook page show some amazing and massive cardboard construction projects. Now granted, these are not small projects, but they might serve as creative inspiration for your students!! Check out the pictures below!

What a super way to repurpose--especially with the glut in the recycling industry where cardboard sometimes does get recycled in some communities. Add in, in today's age of a lot of Amazon.com and other delivery boxes that come right to your door, cardboard as a building material is pretty easy to come by! 

For more inspiration, watch this and check out the following links of ideas & watch this video:

• From Makerspace.com: 25 Maker Space Projects for Kids
• From Maker Education: Cardboard Creations

photos from https://www.facebook.com/pg/ColorworldEntertainment/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1185946768234631&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARBObzaU5MOGmc0ed8iqkyx2JJG0kugIcdSDx4bfiBpsEJQ29HwaKmHBercjCz6S0-g3qqXWrhTwKsJ6fHQVaYK67qX_11hI8uT1Uh-PpEBO9GSN08iRxsi7N63MllmeUgkTCWc2kxhVrFm9BbsHpJqfGnBvY2R7EVjFARljL1ZWRs-2OixtIwBiomTAx-WbJAvcMdl4UIZISbyvumeJpW9T1QrKjF_gl0Wp9ZrFlQ6NMPnsax96mn_vDbFsW3cPB370r4LAPNZLnWbdrTvKwYJDpTH_6sW0lxcIfuwRSwcjK59sXbDLpdqxvHKeaW51qj1mr5s1T59u7LXTeIJgu2HN7uLo&__tn__=-UC-R; video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RGfnBlaHIQ

When Recycling, Art, & Environmental Education Meet

The White Tailed Deer. I was about 10 when the state of Illinois children voted for the white tailed deer as the state animal in 1980. I still remember that! (I don't, however, remember what else was in the running or on the ballot!)

I was reminded of that as I happened on this wire recycling-encased white tailed deer art installation and combined environmental education this past summer. This intriguing art-eco education piece is located at Outdoor Adventure, a mini golf-ropes courses-batting cages center in my hometown Decatur, Illinois. Clearly the art speaks for itself and definitely makes you think twice before tossing your trash about. We need more of these in all of our communities to raise awareness about how each one of us can definitely make a difference!

I loved too how the recycling-encaged deer was surrounded by these raingardens, a natural landscaping element designed to tackle stormwater runoff.

To take a peek Decatur's unusual space-saving Outlook Adventure's rope's course, check out this video:

Photos from my camera. Video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0S28vFj3nc