Lesson 4 Painting Our World Greener
Art & Our Environment
While art can stir up a sense of beauty in us, it can ____ draw a spirited reaction from the public.
An excellent artistic piece can communicate a ____ to us and even change our ways of looking at our surroundings.
That is why art has played an essential role in addressing social and global issues throughout ____.
Let us take a look at a few modern artworks that address environmental ____.
The first art piece is a ____ by Benjamin Von Wong.
His ____ rally people around environmental actions.
In the photo on the left, ____ Turn Off the Plastic Tap, he tries to highlight the fact that a huge amount of plastic enters the ocean every minute.
He says, “You can’t ____ a product online without having it delivered in plastic packaging.
Also, the clothes you are wearing must be, at least in part, made of ____.
____ on plastic is built into the supply chain, so the individual consumer finds it harder and harder to opt out.
Of course, you can choose not to purchase products containing plastic, but that ____ goes so far.
I think it is important for you to inform your friends and family of the issue ____ at the end of the day, you know, companies and governments can’t ignore the interest of the consumers.
At the ____ time, we also need to pressure governments and corporations to do the right thing.”
Forget Me Not
The next piece, titled Forget Me Not, is Jenny ____ personal love letter to the sea.
She covered an old boom box with various shells, which took her a ____ to collect.
The boom box plays something you ____ regard as calming ocean sounds.
They are ____ what she recorded as she had one of her baby teeth dissolve in acid.
She wanted us to think of what sea creatures might go through one day if we continue burning fossil fuels ____.
As the ocean absorbs more and more carbon ____, it becomes more and more acidic.
____ this condition, the hard shells of many marine species will dissolve.
Kendler says, “I wanted to inspire people to raise their own awareness about what they can actually do as individuals, but at the same time, I hoped to encourage collective ____ and collective responsibility.
One thing that art can do really well is to help us imagine how the ____ might be otherwise.
Certainly, we can’t ____ to a different place if we can’t imagine it.”
Homestead
The piece below, ____ Homestead, is a painting by Jon Ching.
Most of his work, including this painting, is a celebration of nature and a quiet appeal to ____ to appreciate the world around them.
“I believe we’ve separated ourselves from nature and no longer see ____ we fit in.
Instead of helping nature thrive, we are simply consuming it,” ____ Ching.
One cannot help but smile at his ____, which are rich in color and tenderness.
One of the fun aspects of his work is how he blends the features of one ____ form with those of another.
“I’ve been using my work as a means of commenting on issues and problems I’m ____ interested in.
I find it necessary to express a silver lining rather than just ____ on what’s wrong.
I want to show that everything is connected and that ____ nature is actually protecting us.
My call to action is to remember the ____ and wonder of this planet.”
Art can strike up conversations ____ the environment, but more importantly, it can also make a great difference by inspiring us to take action.
The following words from Andy ____, an American pop artist, ring especially true in this context.
“They always say time changes things, but ____ actually have to change them yourself.”