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Seeking Volunteers for Coal Ash Art Installation

November 4, 2014 BY Molly Murphy

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Working Films is partnering with the Cucalorus Film Festival to put together an art installation entitled, Smoke and Water. We need people like you to participate in creating the installation.

Could you volunteer a few hours of your time to help the artist paint? No artistic ability required, just a willingness to get your hands dirty with some bright paint.

We need your help this Thursday November 6th through Tuesday November 11th. You can sign up for a block of time. See the specifics on time and location below and email Andy Myers to RSVP: [email protected].

Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of this important community art project. For your participation you’ll be invited to a closed door reception celebrating art and activism during the Cucalorus Film Festival!

Art Installation Volunteering Details:

Where:
SEACC Community Action Center, 317 Castle St.

When:
November 7th – afternoon
November 8th – 11th (Sign up in 4 hour blocks: 9am-1pm, 1pm-5pm, & 5pm-9pm)
November 12th – 9am to noon.

What:
Stand up against Coal Ash Pollution! Help create a community mural!

Who:
Wilmington residents, artists and, art students

Additional Info:
Wear clothes you don’t mind getting paint dripped on.
If you have any brushes you use for acrylic paint, feel free to bring them
If you have paint cups or containers, that would be great!

RSVP
Sign up for a 4 hour block of time by contacting Andy Myers, [email protected](910) 599-7447.

Samples of previous works by the artist can be found at this link; description of wall painting and sketches below.

Further Details about the Project

New York-based, Wilmington-born artist Greg Lindquist is preparing a wall painting installation at the Southeastern Alliance for Community Change on coal ash that will include statements from key leaders and impacted community members. This installation is part of a community engagement effort by Working Films, a locally based non-profit and non-partisan organization that builds partnerships between nonfiction media-makers, nonprofit organizations, and educators to advance social and environmental change. The installation and events will be in conjunction with the Cucalorus Film Festival where the film Coal Ash Chronicles will participate in the Work-in-Progress program. Lindquist will create his painting installation in collaboration with local residents, artists and art students in the community.

Description of Wall Painting: Smoke and  Water

By Greg Lindquist

Art requires a social context for its meaning. My painting installations bring the supposed neutrality of the traditional exhibition space into question, while uniting the empathic quality of painting with the voices and experiences of our community. Many people’s hands and touches animate not only the color, form and line in the painting installation, but also the text. These texts give presence to the voices of those impacted by the coal ash pollution, as well as those responsible for its damage and regulation, creating an opportunity for a democratic presentation of voices and contemplation.

This wall painting will bring together a condition of reflection through its contemplative yet unsettling beauty, as well as a statement of social engagement about the coal ash pollution. The rectangular squares will contain text painted by hand and gathered from brief statements solicited from impacted community members, scientists, environmentalists, polluters, and policy makers. Also main partner organizations and local groups may contribute. It will contain a response to a statement similar to the following: We are asking for a no more than 50 word statement: Please reflect on your experience and perspectives with coal ash and the future of the environment and your community. What concerns you most? What do you wish for the future?

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