Meghan Meehan

Name of School
Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Expected Graduation Date:
12/11/2021

Faculty Nominator
Abbi Allan

Reason for Faculty Nomination
Meghan approaches sustainable design through creative reuse, not as a novelty but as the expectation. There is a retro appeal to her work that harks back to when the first calls for ecological design was established as a need. Her work has a style that is as if she’s correcting the past to make a better future. What if we had heeded the warnings about global warming back in the 1990’s when scientists rang the alarm bells that are only now being realized by the public 30 years later? She presents a future where were took the right path. When I look at her work, I feel the value in making those simple everyday choices. Her design sense is elegant and ergonomic with a positive impact on the planet.

Please provide a brief description of your art or medium.
Functional objects made from repurposed materials.

Is your artwork handmade by you? If not, please explain
Yes, it is handmade by me using up cycled materials.

Are all or some of the components locally sourced?
Yes

Artist’s Statement:
Using repurposed materials from previously used items, Meehan encourages people to truly interact with and live with their own junk. Meehan is a 3D artist and designer that creates functional items ranging from furniture, lighting, and household items. Her passion to create things that work stems from her own desire to own things that serve a purpose while owning less. Sustainability and human centered design is at the forefront of her work. She creates with the intention of using less as more in both simplicity and materials. Meehan considers how humans will interact with her work and creates with them in mind. Given her passion for creating functional art that serves a purpose, many of her work fits well in the home. Meehan aims to allow others to find excitement in the mundane routine that we have as humans with her work.

How you will use the Fellowship funds if you are chosen as the winner.
Funds would be used to begin creating artwork to bring awareness to the impact our can have on climate change. I intend to create dog park features from repurposed materials from the pet industry. Materials include old toys, collars, harnesses, leashes, food and waste bags, and other dog owner related items. Despite the amount of eco-friendly pet items out here, it will never offset the water contamination from feces or the environmental impacts of pet food production. The dog park features that I intend to make include tunnels and ramps. These features invite canine interaction and provide education to owners on how our pets consumption contributes 64,000,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year. Funds would go towards tools, supplies, storage, transportation, graphics, 10% for taxes, and purchasing TerraPass for this project to be carbon neutral.