"Art from Detritus: 2023"
Curated by Vernita Nemec March 28 to April 22, 2023
Reception: Thursday, March 30, 6–8pm
closing reception & artists’ talk Saturday, April 22, 4–6pm
Mehgan Abdel-Moneim * Taylor Allison * Jennifer Bain * Brandin Barón * John Bassett * Annaliese Bischoff Marc Chicoine * Lindsay-Ann Chilcott * James Ciosek * Pamela Crockett * Genevieve Daly * Sherry Davis Schuyler Dawson * Michaela DiCosola * Phyllis Famiglietti * Debra Friedkin * Nina Friedman Michael Angelo Gagliardi * Lenny Gallo * Charlie Guterman * Eddie Hall * Kevin Jacobs * Julie Kornblum Bernice Sokol Kramer * Mia Loia * Elizabeth McAlpin * Brian Mitchell * Felicia Olch * Charlie Olson Melinda Rasch * Vincent Donato Roselli * Joshua Ruder * Olga Shute * Rebecca McGee Tuck
Robbii Wessen * Ed Whitmore * Chris Whittey
and Viridian Artists
Ellen Burnett * May DeViney * Rhonda Donovan * Nancy Nicol * Zoe Brown-Weissmann
Chelsea NY: Viridian Artists is pleased to present the exhibit “Art of Detritus: Recycling with Imagination" featuring fine art made primarily from trash. The heart of this exhibit is "upcycling" which is the essence of making art from trash. The exhibit will continue from March 28 to April 22, 2023, with an opening reception on Thursday March 30, 6–8pm. There will also be a closing reception & artists’ talk on Saturday, April 22, 4–6pm. Let's talk about trash!
Artists have long used found objects and discarded materials to create art, and this is more important than ever as we overload our landfills and endanger our environment with an abundance of trash. These artists are addressing the issue not only by using discarded materials but also by raising awareness of the problem. “Art From Detritus” serves to enrich the dialogue between art and the everyday life of people by focusing on recycling or "upcycling" as their method and source for creating. Consequently, these artists have made their artmaking serve as both a political message and creative inspiration.
“Art from Detritus,” or art from trash, was first conceived and curated by artist/curator Vernita Nemec in 1994 in Portland, Oregon, during the annual conference of the National Recycling Coalition (NRC). Presented there in the lobby of a recycled Sears Roebuck building & the corporate headquarters for municipal waste & recycling, the exhibit has re-occurred with funding from the Kauffman Foundation, the Puffin Foundation and sponsorship by the NRC. The exhibit was presented in Pittsburgh at the Westinghouse headquarters, the Museum of Arts & Crafts and the AIA; and in Kansas City, MO at the Linda Hall Library of Science, Rockhurst College & the Writer's Place. Phoenix AZ, Turners Falls, MA and NYC have all been Detritus exhibition sites since those early years. In NYC and nearby, Detritus exhibits have occurred at the Henry Street Abrams Arts Center, Gallery 450, Synagogue for the Arts, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Farleigh Dickinson University, WAH (Williamsburgh Art Center) and again at Viridian. (See more information and images of past Detritus shows at www.ncognita.com.)
Vernita Nemec, a.k.a. Vernita N'Cognita, the curator and creator of Art from Detritus, is a visual & performance artist and has been the director of Viridian Artists since 2000. Her complete biography can be seen here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernita_Nemec.
Gallery hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 12 – 6pm
For further information please contact: Vernita Nemec, Gallery Director or Jenny Belin, Assistant Director at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com or view the gallery website: www.viridianartists.com