Earth Day 2011: Environmental Artists Making a Difference

April 22nd is Earth Day– a day established to inspire awareness and appreciation for the earth and our environment. Founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970, Earth day is now celebrated on April 22nd in almost every country around the globe.

In celebration of Earth Day 2011, DAF presents five artists whose work raises awareness about our relationship with the earth and/or use materials and resources in an eco-friendly way to create their art.

First, what is environmental art? According to GreenMuseum.org, eco-art is “in a general sense, it is art that helps improve our relationship with the natural world. Some environmental art:

• Informs and interprets nature and its processes, or educates us about environmental problems.
• Is concerned with environmental forces and materials, creating artworks affected or powered by wind, water, lightning, even  earthquakes.
• Re-envisions our relationship to nature, proposing new ways for us to co-exist with our environment.
• Reclaims and remediates damaged environments, restoring ecosystems in artistic and often aesthetic ways.