Prize Recognizes Artist’s Work on Climate Change
A Wisconsin fiber artist, Leah Evans, won the first “Honoring the Future Sustainability Award” presented at the opening of the prestigious 2015 Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington, DC. The national award, which comes with a $1,000 prize, recognizes an artist whose work educates the public about climate change or inspires or models a sustainable response to climate change.
The winning artist’s quilted wall hangings focus on human impacts on the environment. Drawing on aerial photography, maps, and satellite images, she depicts impacts of climate change, such as species loss and displacement, changing shorelines, and effects on humans, wildlife, and water. “I create subtle reminders of how our actions can create both destruction and opportunity,” said Evans.
“Leah Evans was right on the mark in a field of very strong and appropriate artist submissions. Her quilted fabric portrayals of changing river patterns and shorelines clearly called attention to the impacts of climate change,” said Lloyd Herman, founding director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery, who judged the entries.
Twenty-one artists from 12 states vied for the award – a strong showing for an inaugural award. Herman was not surprised at the degree of interest: “Artists have long been in the vanguard in addressing social/environmental concerns. The artists vying for this award were no exception. Whether working with sustainably-grown natural or recycled materials, employing processes that economize materials and/or energy, or using environmental concerns as subject matter in their art, they produced appealing, thought-provoking works highlighting sustainable responses to climate change.”
Each of the contending artists posted a sign alongside their artwork at the show stating “Ask Me About Sustainability” and explaining how their art addressed sustainability. The signs sparked numerous conversations about sustainability. “We hope these beautiful artworks – and the conversations they initiated – will inspire viewers to consider how to address climate change in their own lives,” said Honoring the Future project director Fran Dubrowski. “Our ‘What You Can Do’ suggestions provide initial ideas and invite the public to devise more.”
The Sustainability Award is the result of a partnership between Honoring the Future and the Smithsonian Women’s Committee, a volunteer grant making organization dedicated to advancing the Smithsonian’s mission to increase and diffuse knowledge. The Smithsonian Women’s Committee produces the Smithsonian Craft Show to generate funds for grants to support education, outreach and research at the Smithsonian’s 19 museums and galleries, nine research facilities, 20 libraries, and the National Zoo.
