Art for a Living Earth
Digital Arts Instructor (Nova Scotia Community College) and Painter Holly Lennox showed up at a Truro Arts Society meeting and suggested an ecological art show. Since her idea was well received, Lennox became the show coordinator and now “Art for Living Earth” begins February 2nd, 2012. Anyone is welcome to come see the environmental themed pieces at the opening gala (February 7) or any time during the two-month run. Recently, Arts East spoke with Lennox about her intrigue for reusable and how she too will be surprised by what’s included in the exhibit.
AE: How many artists are contributing to the exhibit?
HL: I guess the way the Truro Arts Society works is that the members are notified of what’s happening (they either learn about it at meetings or through e-mail). And I just have to have my fingers crossed that people are going to [contribute]. I’ve had e-mails from a few people letting me know what they’re doing, but I’m just hoping that they’re all going to come through. Wednesday, when they bring the work in, it’s going to be a big surprise for me!
AE: Give us an example of the type of art you expect for the show.
HL: This one artist who has contacted me (Doris Foley), she retired to the Five Islands area, and she is now living on a farm that used to have a blacksmith shop. So, there’s all this iron around. She’s been turning the iron into sculptures and she’s got them all around her garden. People are able to come visit and admire her lawn art. She said she’d like to bring one or two of the pieces and that she could do a collage of photos of the others to give an idea of what it looks like in her garden.
AE: What is one of the unique contributions visitors will see at the exhibit?
HL: Well Peter Labelle will be bringing in a piece that he made years ago when he was living in Ontario. It’s going to be on plywood; he’s going to need help getting it here – it’s very heavy. It has all kinds of materials that he found, including metals. He showed me a picture – it looks very interesting! He’s going to have to get somebody with a truck to help bring it in.
AE: Are you contributing anything to the show?
HL: Mine is going to be more, well, traditional art. I’ve done a drawing of kids: they’re playing video games, but there’s one kid on a bicycle powering all the equipment. The other piece I’m doing is a view of a Truro street where all the front lawns have been replaced by vegetable gardens, so this would be “urban agriculture”.
AE: The show is being held at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC). Will any of the students be contributing to the exhibit?
HL: They are always welcome to join the society. This show is going to be held in the mostly in the library (what’s considered the gallery) but there’s also a space in the hallway outside. So Peter Labelle who teaches Life Drawing in the Digital Animation program is planning on having student work up in the hallway at the same time. It will be drawings that they did of the old Normal College in Truro. It’s an old building, it’s really nice looking – I don’t think there’s really anybody in there at the moment. The Town Council is trying to figure out what to do with the building. The animation students went in there and did a whole lot of architectural drawings. I guess it’s ‘the old and what can we do with it?’
AE: What type of art would you like to create in the future with reused materials?
HL: I think it would be really cool to do a really large piece using bottle tops. You know, you glue those on and they come in many different colours. But, I don’t drink a lot, so if people could come to the art show and drop off their bottle tops, which cannot be recycled anyway. They take the bottles to be recycled, but they don’t take the tops. I’m thinking there’s a common area in Forrester Hall that has some blank walls, where it would be fun to do bottle top art.
AE: Is there anything you’d like to add about the show you’re coordinating?
HL: I hope that people will enjoy the show, but also think about the environment and what they might be able to contribute – any changes they can make to their lifestyle and how to be positive.
Art for Living Earth runs from February 2 – March 27 (8:30 am - 4:30 pm) at the McCarthy Gallery (NSCC Truro Campus). The opening gala is February 7 at 7pm and features entertainment from the North Shore Slow Pickers.
