Sustainable Art Practices at VisArts

F.E.A.S.T. (Funding Emerging Art with Sustainable Tactics) at VisArts is a grassroots effort to support sustainable art practices. In conjunction with FIELD WORK, an exhibit featuring the collaborative work of nine artists who engage the environment in their work, VisArts will be hosting F.E.A.S.T. - a public, community-driven, fundraising dinner - on Saturday, March 24 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Gibbs Street Gallery.

Patrons will engage in an evening of locally-grown food and community-based selection of a grant recepient. Participating artists of all disciplines are eligible to receive a grant of up to $1000 for a proposal focusing on sustainability and community. Patrons can purchase F.E.A.S.T. tickets online or in-person at VisArts until the day of the event.

"Projects can address any issues tied to sustainability including but not limited to: food, transportation, housing, impact, resources, planning, quality of life, recycling, work practices, art and cultural production, ethical consumption, environmental and resource management," states the artist entry guidelines published on the VisArts website.

On the same day as F.E.A.S.T., from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., VisArts is hosting a panel discussion that is free and open to the public. Moderated by an artist who works at the intersection of food and art, the panel includes an urban farmer, a climate scientist who studies the relationship between global warming and invasive species and FIELD WORK artists.

"We have multiple channels to bring awareness to these issues, and they are all valid," said FIELD WORK curator Susan Main, referring to the equally resonant voices of art and science in the global and local sustainability discussion.

VisArts has partnered with the City of Rockville sustainability program, which builds sustainability into the agenda of the city government, added Main.

FIELD WORK is on view from now until April 14 and features the work of Dan Allende, Ian Cox, Selin Oguz Balci, Margaret Boozer, J.J. McCracken, Lynn Cazabon, Patterson Clark, Hugh Pocock and Jackson Martin.

Their collective work is a meditation on communication systems, the microcosmic world of bacteria, collective use of public spaces, the materials and resources available to artists through the natural environment and the creation of artificial naturescapes in controlled climates.

"This group raises awareness about choices being important as an artist," said Main who emphasized how challenging it can be to embrace the use of sustainable materials while adhering to artistic vision.

Gallery hours for FIELD WORK are: Wednesday through Friday, noon to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.