By Bart King
For the last six months I’ve been working as a guest curator at a local non-profit art gallery, preparing an exhibit called “Running on Empty: the fossil fuel addiction.” The exhibit opens to the public Saturday night, and earlier this week I was interviewed by a reporter who asked me, “What do you hope to gain from the exhibit?”
I gave a truthful, if somewhat boring answer about wanting to raise awareness of decreasing oil supplies and the environmental consequences of falling back on coal and natural gas reserves instead of aggressively developing renewable energy and efficiency measures. I explained that I hoped the paintings, photographs, prints and other pieces of art would encourage community members to reduce their energy consumption and to insist that our political and business leaders take the difficult steps to secure a low-carbon future.
I explained to her that I believe burning the lights in the gallery (newly installed CFLs), shipping of art work and drawing a parking lot full of cars is worth the carbon emissions, if the message hits home with a group of people and starts a ripple effect. Unless the vast majority of the public and politicians are on board, it will do no good for those of us who “get it” to sit at home wrapped in blankets with the lights turned off.
I meant every word of it, but it’s not the whole truth. The wording of her question brought to mind more personal motivations as well: I hope to meet the leaders of other green organizations in the state; I hope to cross-promote my work on SustainableBusiness.com; and I hope to gain other (paid) opportunities to combine a passion for the arts and the environment. Does this make me an opportunist rather than an activist?
What about the 17 artists in the exhibit? What do they hope to gain from donating their artwork? The majority of them are professional artists, who undoubtedly will benefit from greater exposure and a respectable entry on their resumes. Yet, it’s clear from viewing their stunning and sometimes disturbing creations that these individuals aren’t just trying to ride the wave of a hot social issue. Getting to know them, I recognized they too are truly inspired by the danger of fossil fuel reliance.
Sure, it’s cliché to talk about an artist’s inspiration. But in relating it to my own motivation, I understand it’s about more than just finding something to draw or paint. All of us—whether artists, writers, lawyers or laborers—need motivation to get out of bed in the morning. We need challenges to drive us to our full creative potentials. And we are most fulfilled when these are part of our daily lives.
One of the Running On Empty artists, David Macaluso, explained how after years of searching for a path, he found his “voice” as an artist when he began painting with used motor oil. For him, the medium and the message connected, and the “flood of ideas” that followed led to a body of work that explores interconnections of energy and world events. His drawings, which intertwine oil commodity prices with text from popular media, speeches and policy reports, are some of the most beautiful and evocative pieces in the exhibit.
Printmaker Craig Fisher’s epic and chaotic intaglio works became what he calls his “bully pulpit” when his children got tired of hearing him preach about poorly designed public transportation and “big oil.” And painter Morgan Craig teaches high school during the week and trespasses into defunct power plants and refineries in his spare time to collect photographs that inform his massive paintings. Last summer he traveled to Chernobyl, where he shot thousands of pictures to reference for a new series of paintings he hopes will capture the essence of that infamous site.
As a freelance writer with no clock to punch, I used to struggle to put in a full day’s worth of uninspired work. Since finding a niche covering the environment and cleantech industry, the hours seem to rush by—the “zone” I think it’s called. Working on this exhibit, I’ve ended twelve-hour days with more energy than I had in the morning. If that’s not active I’m not sure what is.
But activism traditionally implies notions of sacrifice and fighting against the tide of public opinion. There are certainly sacrifices to be made, but I’m hopeful that the tide is beginning to turn. And from where I stand there appears to be tremendous opportunity for communities and individuals to build on the growing interest in true sustainability—not just green-washing. Ultimately if the public, industry and politicians recognize a common goal in addressing environmental, economic and societal ills, we can seize motivation for our daily lives, turn the grind into a flow, and reach for a potential that is higher than the uninspired status quo.
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Editors Note: “Running On Empty: the fossil fuel addiction” opens January 31, 2009 at Athens Institute for Contemporary Art (ATHICA) in Athens, GA. Artwork from the exhibit can be viewed at www.athica.org under “Illustrated Checklist,” and Bart King’s catalog essay will be posted on the site following the opening.
Bart King is News Editor of SustainableBusiness.com. This column is available for syndication.
Contact bart@sustainablebusiness.com.
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