Earth Day: Tent City at U of North Texas

To coincide with Earth Day, University of North Texas art students turned the entryway of the Environmental Education, Science and Technology (EESAT) Building into a temporary “tent city” for an art project that comments on environmentalism and consumerism.
 
A sturdy camping tent filled with a shiny refrigerator, dehumidifier and a bin of Clorox wipes sits in one spot — commenting on how well the “ultimate outdoorsman” can survive in nature on his own. A few feet away, a tent made of a plastic tarp and wooden boards hangs from the ceiling, addressing the plight of earthquake-ravaged Haitians in limbo. Another student's child-like fort is made of bedsheets. Toys and cookie crumbs litter the floor, and “Captain Planet and the Planeteers” plays on a small TV.

“It opens their minds about the possibilities of what art can be,” says Susan Cheal, the associate professor of studio art who instructs students in this Hybrid Forms art class from UNT’s College of Visual Arts and Design. “The common thought is it has to be a painting or sculpture, but art is everywhere. Good art asks more questions than gives answers.”

The exhibition, titled “Neither Outside In Nor Inside Out,” will be on display until May 8. And last evening in the same space, the university held “eARTh Day: A Celebration of Environmental Music, Writing, Art and Film." The artists inhabited their environments at the free event, which also included poetry and short story readings, musical performances, and films.

Student involvement is such a natural fit for Earth Day events,  and we like how this institution provided such an in-your-face locale for this important exhibit. What did your campus do to raise awareness for Earth Day?

Photos by Rhonda Boaz/UNT

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[Eva]

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