Where art and sustainability converge

The first #SustayinHome Virtual Art Expo highlights sustainability-related artwork from the McGill community in a wide variety of mediums, ranging from a one-act play to a quilt made out of upcycled fabric

Art and sustainability collide at McGill’s first SustayinHome Virtual Art Expo! Hosted by the Office of Sustainability as a part of their #SustayinHome campaign, which encourages the implementation of sustainability into at-home routines, the #SustayinHome Virtual Art Expo highlights sustainability-related artwork from the McGill community.

With the request for submissions having launched on the last day of Earth Month, the #SustayinHome Virtual Art Expo aimed to bring the McGill community together, virtually, to reflect on their personal and collective sustainability journeys, while building and sharing a vision for the future. Students, staff, faculty, and household members were invited to submit pieces of art that represented sustainability in one of the following ways: their personal commitment to the sustainability movement, what it means to drive transformational change for people and the planet, or their vision for the future of sustainability on campus. Artists were also encouraged to submit works that were created using materials diverted from landfill.

The Art Expo received submissions in a wide variety of mediums, ranging from a one-act play to a quilt made out of upcycled fabric. Along with their submissions, individuals were asked to include an artist statement that explained the meaning of their work and its connection to the theme of sustainability. Several submissions to the Art Expo emphasized the enhanced beauty of our planet visible during these unprecedented times through portrayals of wildlife and scenery. Others used their pieces as a means to call for social change, such as a linocut print that explored the role of fast fashion in society.

Whether it be through painting, writing, or upcycling, the power of these pieces to connect individuals and promote sustainable habits, even while we are unable to physically gather, is profound. Explore the SustayinHome Virtual Art Expo gallery here or join the Office of Sustainability and some of the Artists at the Art Expo Livestream on June 23, at 12 pm. RSVP to the free event here.

Below is a slide show sampling some of the SustayinHome Virtual Art Expo art work