From water to sky The environmental art movement

Author: Melissa Marshall and Andrew Throdahl

New York, Florence, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Hong Kong - Vermont? While Danforth pewter and Frog Hollow pottery cultivate a certain following, the Green Mountain State usually does not top the list of pulsing art hot spots. Vermont, however, has made a notable impression on the quickly expanding and media-savvy environmental art movement - without leaving a footprint, of course.

As diverse and ever-evolving as the natural space it tries to incorporate, environmental art can take the shape of diverse forms, applying itself to a wide array of societal and politically minded pieces. Defined by Director of Tees Valley Art Rosi Lister in her 2003 article, "What Is Environmental Art?", the movement characterizes itself as "art which observes and interacts with the natural environment, reclaims or improves physical environments in the tangible sense or engages with the social environment with activist intent." Despite its relatively small community, Middlebury College has shown commendable dedication to supporting public displays of environmentally friendly sculpture.

In the last couple of years, two Committee on Art in Public Places (CAPP) commissioned works have had bents toward the examination and visual exploration of the natural world. The highly controversial Solid State Change, 2007 and the whimsical So Inclined, 2007 not only brought attention to the natural resources of Vermont, but also placed public art at the center of public opinion.

The equally derogatorily and affectionately termed "The Tire Sculpture," Brooklyn-based Deborah Fisher's large-scale piece situated beside the Franklin Environmental Center at Hillcrest, manipulates recycled material to create a form mimicking the geological structure of Vermont. Keeping the focus on local, American-born Patrick Dougherty's organic architecture framing the Mahaney Center for the Arts '84 twists silver maple saplings found on Weybridge Street into sculpture that, while not overtly political in essence, encourages the viewer to examine his feelings towards the natural.

These relatively new additions to the College are not the only emblems of environmental art to spot the green around campus. Beginning in the late 1960s, the movement rooted itself in the sculpture of "Land art" and "Arte povera," and while "green" has monopolized the media in the last five years - spearheaded by "An Inconvenient Truth" - its manifestation at Middlebury has remained in the sculptural form. From Joseph Beuys' 7000 Eichen, 1982-1987/1998 to Michael Singer's interactive Garden of Seasons, 2003-2004 and Dan Graham's Two-Way Mirror Curved Hedge Zig-Zag Labyrinth, 1996 one can observe, meditate and even explore the Vermont environment and the art that reflects it.

Hopping one hour north to Burlington, the Fleming Museum at The University of Vermont is hosting "Architectural Improvisation: A History of Vermont's Design/Build Movement 1964-1977" until Dec. 19. The exhibit examines the Vermont architectural Design/Build movement that "focused on a new mediatory role for architecture both in creating community and in the then-newly charged relationship between humans and the environment."

Mobility beyond the collegiate sphere points to the momentum of the movement at a state level. This year The Vermont Arts Council announced a nationwide competition to commission artists to create visual works of art that address issues concerning the future of Vermont - not surprisingly, environmental awareness will be sure to make an appearance. Funded by Vermont philanthropist Lyman Orton, the Art of Action Project stands as a breathing example of the heart of environmental art: global perspective on a local level. On Jan. 29 and 30, twenty finalists will display their proposals at the Montpelier State House.

"Eco art" could be construed as an oxymoron, since purely decorative art is essentially a waste of materials that could be used for practical purposes. Therefore, one of the central concerns of eco-artists is making functional art that makes a powerful statement about sustainability. It is no surprise then that much of what qualifies as "eco-art" in the state of Vermont is furniture. Most in tune with Rosi's third definition for the movement, this January DigitalBridges2.0 will host the first annual "Snowbuddies Benefit Auction" to support the Addison County Parent Child Center. Twenty local artists - including two Middlebury College students - will auction off hand-painted Adirondack chairs to help raise funds.

On an international scale, one of the most stirring eco-art projects being mounted is "Human/Nature: Artists respond to a Changing Planet," a collaborative exhibition that sent leading artists to especially biodiverse regions to examine both the ecology and culture of the areas. Xu Bing, who visited Middlebury two weeks ago to give a slide lecture on his work, was assigned to Mount Kenya National Park, Kenya. Xu's final installation was a series of local children's drawings based on the Chinese characters for "wood," "woods" and "forest." Other projects included a functional cart for rangers in Komodo National Park, Indonesia and a film of children in the Galapagos reciting Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species." The variety within this project alone is testament to the inexhaustible possibilities of "eco-art." "Human/Nature" is currently in San Diego, but will travel around the country in 2009.