Lesson 4 Painting Our World Greener
Art & Our Environment
While art can stir up a sense of beauty in us, it can also draw a ____ reaction from the public.
____ excellent artistic piece can communicate a message 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 ____ issues.
The first art piece is a ____ by Benjamin Von Wong.
His artworks rally people around environmental ____
In the photo on the left, titled Turn Off the ____ Tap, he tries to highlight the fact that a huge amount of plastic enters the ocean every minute.
He says, “You can’t order a product online without having ____ delivered in plastic packaging.
Also, the clothes you are wearing must be, at least ____ part, made of plastic.
Dependence on plastic is built into the supply chain, so the individual consumer finds it harder and harder to opt ____
Of course, you can choose not to ____ products containing plastic, but that only goes so far.
I think ____ is important for you to inform your friends and family of the issue because at the end of the day, you know, companies and governments can’t ignore the interest of the consumers.
At the same time, we also need to ____ governments and corporations to do the right thing.”
Forget Me Not
____ next piece, titled Forget Me Not, is Jenny Kendler’s personal love letter to the sea.
She ____ an old boom box with various shells, which took her a year to collect.
The boom box plays something you may regard as calming ocean ____
They are actually what she ____ 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 ____ fossil fuels carelessly.
As the ocean absorbs more ____ more carbon dioxide, it becomes more and more acidic.
Under this condition, the hard shells of many marine species will ____
Kendler says, “I ____ 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 action and collective responsibility.
One thing that art can do really well is to help us imagine ____ the world might be otherwise.
Certainly, we ____ get to a different place if we can’t imagine it.”
Homestead
____ piece below, titled Homestead, is a painting by Jon Ching.
Most of his work, including this painting, is a celebration of nature and a quiet appeal to humans to appreciate the world around ____
“I believe ____ separated ourselves from nature and no longer see how we fit in.
Instead of helping nature ____ we are simply consuming it,” says Ching.
One cannot help ____ smile at his paintings, 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 ____ heavily interested in.
I find it necessary to express ____ silver lining rather than just reflect on what’s wrong.
I want to show that ____ is connected and that protecting nature is actually protecting us.
My call to action is to remember the magic and wonder ____ this planet.”
Art can strike up conversations about the ____ but more importantly, it can also make a great difference by inspiring us to take action.
The following words from Andy Warhol, an American pop artist, ring especially true in this ____
“They always say time changes things, but ____ actually have to change them yourself.”