Man-Made: A State of Nature
An Invitational Group Show of Activist Art
February 7, 2019 – March 2, 2019
Opening reception, Saturday, February 9th from 1-3pm
Jonathan Mess, Waterstruck Slab No.20, Reclaimed ceramic materials, 12.5” x 13.25” x 1”
“Likewise, civilizations have throughout history marched blindly toward disaster, because humans are wired to believe that tomorrow will be much like today — it is unnatural for us to think that this way of life, this present moment, this order of things is not stable and permanent. Across the world today, our actions testify to our belief that we can go on like this forever, burning oil, poisoning the seas, killing off other species, pumping carbon into the air, ignoring the ominous silence of our coal mine canaries in favor of the unending robotic tweets of our new digital imaginarium. Yet the reality of global climate change is going to keep intruding on our fantasies of perpetual growth, permanent innovation and endless energy, just as the reality of mortality shocks our casual faith in permanence.”
- Roy Scranton,
Learning to Die in the Anthropocene:
Reflections on the End of a Civilization
In February, Greenhut is proud to present an environmentally themed invitational show with a focus on the social and cultural aspects of climate change. With point critical for reversing climate change behind us, but mitigation of future effects still possible, we invited 23 activist artists to submit work that creates awareness, stimulates dialogue, explores ethical issues and implications, comments on or seeks to change human behavior towards other species, and encourages long-term respect for the natural systems with which we coexist. The result is an exciting and eclectic exhibition. Media range from oil paintings to photographs to ceramics, textiles, reclaimed fishing gear, encaustic, wood, plastic, raw coal, bee pollen and more. The thread that binds is the thought-provoking beauty of the objects themselves and the passion each artist brought to this important project. We hope you’ll join us in participating in this urgent conversation.
Man-Made featured artists: Judith Allen, Greta Bank, Stephen Burt, Kate Chappell, Lee Cummings, Michel Droge, Rick Green, Sean Alonzo Harris, Joe Hemes, Adriane Herman, Tina Ingraham, Juliet Karelsen, Jonathan Mess, Amy Peters Wood, Ben Potter, Alison Rector, Carter Shappy, Gail Skudera, Gin Stone, Shoshannah White, DM Witman, Jeff Woodbury, Dudley Zopp
Greenhut Galleries
146 Middle St
Portland, ME
207-772-2693
info@greenhutgalleries.com
Hours: Monday - Friday 10am - 5:30pm, Saturday 10am - 5pm