Upcycled waste has turned into world-class art at SJIMA

||| FROM BARBARA MARRETT for SAN JUAN ISLANDS MUSEUM OF ART |||. 

In his fascinating lecture, sculptor Kevin Christison will explain how he takes discarded materials and turns them into world-class art. You are invited to a special gallery walk & talk at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) on Friday, October 28, at 5:30, lecture admission is free.

Kevin’s The New FORBIDDEN’s exhibit displays studio works from an array of upcycled waste materials: PET plastics, glass, aluminum, paper, and natural fiber. The use of sustainable energy in the art-making processes is emphasized and underscored throughout the exhibition.

Works address such topics as climate change, ethics, social acceptance, the concept of property, personal and communal boundaries, management of natural resources (including waste materials), and the use of sustainable energy.  Surrounded by his exciting creations explore Christison’s creations and his inspirations. 

Kevin will explain how he worked in the Maldives to take their major export—trash—and turn it into art https://soneva.com/experience/soneva-art-glass/. At the same time, he blended the islands’ major economy—tourism—with a program to teach visitors to look at trash through a different lens by turning it into beautiful glass art souvenirs. In the process, visitors learned about sustainability and the fragile island ecology. A strong parallel can be drawn between the Maldives and the San Juan Islands.  

Can’t attend the lecture? The museum’s regular hours are Friday-Monday 11-5, see the exhibit and watch a video of Kevin explaining his art. Find out more about the works in the exhibit here: https://bit.ly/3eEOQkO

Thanks to SJIMA exhibit sponsors:  The Honeywell Charitable Fund, Town of Friday Harbor, San Juan County, Washington State Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, Printonyx, Browne’s Home Center, Harbor Rentals and friends of Christison. SJIMA is located at 540 Spring Street, Friday Harbor, WA. For more information go the www.sjima.org