During the week of March 5, Professor Michelle Polgar inspired students in her CULF 1319 course, Art and Cultural Change, to create a work of art that made a cultural statement about the issues students are dealing with in their daily lives. After discussing many of these issues, the class chose to make a statement about sustainability on campus through efforts in recycling. The statement the class chose was: “We can be a model for a sustainable future.”
The class rallied together to collect plastic bottles and aluminum cans from campus grounds, trashcans, classrooms, offices, and apartment buildings. Together, the class created “recycled” wind chimes and posted educational posters about the powerful impact of recycling. The information emphasized single-stream recycling on campus and provided statistics to support the importance of recycling. The class’s goal was to reduce the amount of recyclable material in on-campus trash cans.
This is just one installment in the cultural art projects this class will create. These projects will inspire students to think about the issues they care about – and encourage students to create change. Keep your eyes peeled for more art projects popping up around campus.
Janelle (Marie) Sylvester ’14, Environmental Science and Policy major, authored this blog.