As an environmentally conscious artist, I find myself often thinking about the amount of waste that can be created during the art making process. The quantity of paper that I use for sketching and writing ideas for future projects is staggering in itself. As an art educator it can sometimes be even more daunting. I consider the amount of supplies that I alone use and then multiply that by the number of visitors we see in C3. So in an effort to be a little more green for Earth Day, I chose recycled/recyclable materials for the current C3 Art Spot theme.
plastic twist ties
foil sheets
cardboard tubes
cardboard boxes
Though some of these materials were purchased, much of the cardboard we have been using at the Art Spot has been donated by DMA employees. Admittedly, when I put out new supplies, I was curious and anxious to see what our visitors would make. As usual, the creativity of our visitors has been astounding! The creations have included animals, robots, and vehicles, just to name a few.
When I chose these materials, I was hoping to perhaps help visitors see what kinds of beautiful, creative things they could make with items they may typically take for granted. An added bonus has been hearing from the DMA staff who have donated their recycling. It has been a joy for them to see their recyclables transformed into works of art! Check out more of our visitors’ creations on our Flickr page.
Perhaps this Earth Day you can take some time to reconsider your art materials and make a recycled masterpiece!
Many educators have the gift of recycling materials into wonderful creations. If they do not already possess this genius, they quickly learn how to be resourceful with what they have around them. In C3, we defy all resource limitations when creating workshops and programming. Check out how we up-cycle materials in some of our hottest programs. I hope it inspires you!
Late Night Creativity Challenge
Creativity Challenges occur once a month on Late Night at the DMA. In these challenges, teams compete against each other using random materials to create an original work of art inspired by the collection. I have never once purchased materials for this program—all the creations come from leftovers and odd materials I find around the C3 Art Studio and my own personal closet.
Visitors celebrate the summer by creating games inspired by the collection.
Materials used: cups, scraps of paper, and pom pom balls
Visitors create gowns to become the next Miss DMA in conjunction with a special exhibition.
Materials used: toilet paper from the DMA Operations team, tape, cling wrap, and blue reflective paper
C3 Adult Workshops
The Open Studio, C3 Artistic Encounters, and Think Creatively allow adults to experience art in new ways. These workshops are led by staff or local contemporary artists, who share the creative process and lead visitors through an art making experience.
Alternate identities workshop.
Materials used: rail board and staples
Guest artist Martin Delabano showed what can be created with scraps of wood.
Materials used: wood, hot glue, beads and pipe cleaners
Collage workshop with guest artist Margaret Meehan.
Materials used: Magazines, card stock, and yarn
Urban Armor
Our teens join us for monthly Urban Armor workshops where we take a closer look at the Museum’s collection and then create original works of art using advanced techniques in the Tech Lab.
Conceptual Weaving project where materials were chosen to represent a certain thought. This teen’s word was playful.
Visitors can discover a different activity each month by exploring how artists see the world through the our collection. After time looking at works of art in the gallery, visitors create their own art project in our studio every Saturday and Sunday.
What happens when you leave your artwork behind?
You guessed it–Found Object Sculptures!
Materials used: Old and abandoned art work, cardboard, and assorted collage materials
Life size recreation of our city!
Materials used: boxes, paper, and tape
The Art Spot
Even if we are not having a program, you can still make original works of art in C3 at the Art Spot! We provide materials and tools everyday for visitors to drop by and create!
Visitors created family portraits inspired by a work of art in C3.
Materials used: Paper and tape
Office supplies to inspire the creative process!
Materials used: File folder tabs and clear tape
Jim Hodges, Changing Things, 1997, Dallas Museum of Art, Mary Margaret Munson Wilcox Fund and gift of Catherine and Will Rose, Howard Rachofsky, Christopher Drew and Alexandra May, and Martin Posner and Robyn Menter-Posner
Doesn’t this last creation look inspired by the new Jim Hodges work on view? Drop by and see more amazing creations when the exhibition opens on October 6!
How do you reuse your materials? Remember: Before you purchase supplies, see if you can transform the materials you already have. We would love to see the work that you create with the objects all around you.
Reduce, reuse, and recycle. As Earth Day rolls around, we’re reminded of our impact on the environment. But what are we doing at the Dallas Museum of Art to be green? Uncrated went on a search to find out.
Each year, over half a million visitors step through the Museum’s doors, and our large building is 500,000 square feet, taking up two city blocks in downtown Dallas. Our global collections span over 24,000 works of art, and we produce an average of eighteen exhibitions each year. We have an underground parking garage, a cafe, a store, and over two hundred employees.
With this large footprint, we were excited to find out about some long-standing practices and a few new ones that the DMA is using to reduce its impact on the environment:
Three years ago, The City of Dallas and the DMA retrofitted the building’s entire energy management systems in order enhance energy efficiency. Efforts included replacing our boiler and chillers, adding eco-friendly light bulbs, low flow toilets and water fixtures throughout the museum. As a result, utility consumption has been reduced over 50%.
The Museum has a water management system throughout the building. It is a smart system with rain sensors for our hardscape and landscaping.
We added healthier, more drought-tolerant trees along the Museum bordering St. Paul Street.
All chemicals and cleaning agents used at the DMA are eco-friendly.
DMA employees are offered a discount to ride the DART system to work. There is a bicycle rack located on Ross Avenue Plaza.
When layouts of our galleries are changed for new exhibitions, we reuse studs and building materials. All crates and art packing materials are reused and/or recycled.
The DMA participates in a recycling program with the City of Dallas. The profits the City makes are sent into the general fund for City programs such as Park and Recreation projects and Fire Department equipment.
All copy paper used at the Museum has a minimum of 30% post-consumer waste content.
All of the printed materials produced by our Creative Services team are printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paper, using an FSC-certified paper distributor, and 95% of the commercial printing (100% local) that the Museum does uses an FSC-certified printer.
The admission tags that visitors receive when they visit the DMA are collected and reused. Look for boxes at the Visitor Services Desk to recycle your tag when leaving.
The Museum Store features products from many local artists and craftsman and also has a wide variety of eco-friendly products.
Our cafe uses compostable or biodegradable disposable containers and recycles all plastic, glass bottles, paper, cardboard, wine corks, and cooking oils. This summer, we will begin working with a food composting company.
The cafe menu consists of locally purchased organic produce, sourcing through local vendors within a two hundred-mile radius. Soon, the cafe will implement new infused water stations and glass-bottled waters, phasing out plastic-bottled water.
For a selection of works on view at the Museum that incorporate recycled materials, visit our sister blog, We Art Family, for their Earth Day post. And for eco-friendly activities, emerging green technology, and thought-provoking ways to think, work, and live green in Dallas, join us today and tomorrow in the downtown Dallas Arts District for the free Earth Day Dallas Festival (the DMA will have FREE admission on Saturday, April 23, 2011!). To reduce your carbon footprint, ride DART to Pearl Station and walk to the Arts District.
Happy EARTH Day!
Mandy Engleman is the Director of Creative Services at the Dallas Museum of Art
