Critical Messages: Northwest Artists on the Environment

During the 1970s, artists began to respond to environmental issues in two ways: by creating ecological artworks that provide solutions to the problems facing natural and urban ecosystems; or by interpreting them through a variety of media- painting, sculpture, multimedia installations, photography, video, performances. During the 1990s, there was a second resurgence of artists who made ecology a central theme in art. The exhibition shows how 26 contemporary Northwest artists respond to global issues and specific environmental concerns in the region, concentrating on eight specific issues identified by top environmentalists: growth management; waste management, land and sea; mass production/consumption; transportation; energy; preservation of wilderness and wetlands; biodiversity; climate change.