This post comes to you from Green Public Art
On May 6, 2011, H20: The Art of Conservation, at the Water Conservation Garden, San Diego, CA, will open to the public. Green Public Art reviewed over 1100 artists portfolios before inviting 14 San Diego artists to participate in the exhibition which offers San Diego homeowners an artistic alternative to incorporate water conservation into their own garden spaces. Green Public Art awarded each artist a mini-grant to develop their site-specific sculptures. In the weeks leading up to the exhibition opening the artist’s concepts will be revealed on this site. Questions? Contact Rebecca Ansert, Curator, Green Public Art at rebecca@greenpublicart.com.
CONCEPT: Precious, 21 hand-blown glass pendents. Water is a precious commodity that is often taken for granted. In our desert-like environment, rain is a rare occurrence, one to be celebrated and revered. It seems only fitting to create a piece that not only mirrors the preciousness of water as well as pays homage to the importance and beauty of rain. For this exhibit, I will create a series of hand-blown glass water droplets. Glass is the chosen medium as it is inherently precious because of its fragility as well as, ironically, it is in a liquid form when the pieces are first formed. The piece is to be installed as a canopy of pendant glass droplets suspended from the patio cover in the Patio Garden Exhibit to echo the pattern of falling rain. There is seating below the installation that will invite visitors to sit and ponder the value of water and how everyone can play a part in the conserving of it.
ABOUT: Glass artist, Lea de Wit, creates sculptures, wall hangings, and vessels that delight and inspire. She has received instruction at Scuola del Vetro, Abate Zanetti, in Murano, Italy, at Red Deer College in Canada, at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York, at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine. She received a scholarship to study with Mary Van Cline at the Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. She has studied under Italian glassblowing masters, Pino Signoretto, Elio Quarisa, and Davide Salvadore, and renowned glass sculpture artist, Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen. Her work is part of art collections at Marriott International, Inc., Rady Childrenʼs Hospital, City of Vista Civic Center, Professional Hospital Supply, Inc., LʼAuberge Del Mar, Aveda Corporation, and Vistage International, Inc. as well as other corporate and private collections nationwide.
Rebecca Ansert, founder of Green Public Art, is an art consultant who specializes in artist solicitation, artist selection, and public art project management for both private and public agencies. She is a graduate of the master’s degree program in Public Art Studies at the University of Southern California and has a unique interest in how art can demonstrate green processes or utilize green design theories and techniques in LEED certified buildings.
Green Public Art is a Los Angeles-based consultancy that was founded in 2009 in an effort to advance the conversation of public art’s role in green building. The consultancy specializes in public art project development and management, artist solicitation and selection, creative community involvement and knowledge of LEED building requirements. Green Public Art also works with emerging and mid-career studio artists to demystify the public art process. The consultancy acts as a resource for artists to receive one-on-one consultation before, during, and after applying for a public art project.
