On the afternoon of Saturday, April 25, four artists gather at the Pacific Grove Art Center to prepare their show for hanging. Each works in a different medium, but together they are an informal group that meets to discuss the world.
With this exhibition, they invite a conversation about local environmental causes and solutions. The artists picked six nonprofits, and each created a piece devoted to a project the organizations support.
Cheryl Kampe arrives with pastels from her “coastal scenes” and “familial surroundings” series. Her piece “Harvest” is inspired by Nancy’s Project, a nonprofit that ensures access to food and is now confronting ICE activity. Beside her, Marybeth Rinehart displays paper collages, including the shimmering blue “Metamorphosis,” made for the Carmel River Steelhead Association, which stewards the Carmel River – a vital habitat for local flora and fauna.
“I thought they would say no,” says Joy Colangelo, who works in fabric collage, recalling the moment the group reached out to Big Sur Land Trust, Steelhead Association, Surfrider, Elkhorn Slough Foundation, Ventana Wildlife Society and Nancy’s Project. But every organization jumped on the idea.
Colangelo’s pieces render Big Sur trees and local fields beautifully. Susann Cate Lynn rounds out the group with oils that show – among other things – the confluence of natural and industrial worlds at Elkhorn Slough.
Visitors will encounter QR codes with an augmented reality experience designed by augmented reality artist Karen Owen. In AR, each pristine landscape morphs into the nonprofit’s worst nightmare. For Surfrider, the mouth of the Carmel River disappears as a tractor diverts the river and a retaining wall rises. Big Sur Land Trust’s scene shows a high-rise where trees once lined a creek.
Art can reach people in ways data, statistics and mission statements cannot. “It gives an audience an opportunity to see the same subject matter from a different point of view,” Kampe says.
“Just the fragility of what we have here,” Lynn adds, emphasizing the preciousness of Monterey County’s rich natural environment and communities.
Having a message, all four artists say, is fulfilling.
As We See It – And How It Could Be opens 6-8pm Friday, May 1. Pacific Grove Art Center, 568 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. On display until June 26.