Saturday, February 18, 2012

Press Release for the Plastic Propaganda Poster Project

Press Release for “The Plastic Propaganda Poster Project” art exhibition at Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah. Opening, March 27 and running through April 18, 2012.

“The Plastic Propaganda Poster Project” invites artists to respond, in printed poster form, to our mass consumption of plastic and its deleterious effect on our environment and health. “The Plastic Propaganda Poster Show” is inspired by the tradition of the propaganda poster. The term “propaganda” is often perceived of as a negative term when in fact it is simply defined as “information put out by an organization or government to promote a policy, idea or cause”. The propaganda poster medium has produced many iconic images, such as the strong armed female factory worker from World War II that simply says “We Can Do It”.

“The Plastic Propaganda Poster Project” aspires to raise awareness about the role plastic use is playing in our world. Plastic has saturated our oceans, from larger pieces of plastic which form plastic “islands” to tiny pieces of plastic which are ingested by sea life. Most of us test positive for small levels of bisphenol A, or BPA, found in food containers and packaging. Some scientists believe that BPA exposure can disrupts hormones and alters genes, leading to breast or prostate cancer, premature female puberty, attention deficit disorders and other reproductive or neurological disorders. “The Plastic Propaganda Poster Project” also invites artists to come up with solutions for using less plastic: what other than a plastic bag can dog poop be picked up with? Can society demand that plastic companies develop non-toxic, biodegradable substitutes for plastic?

A host of artists will contribute to “The Plastic Propaganda Poster Project”. Utah artists include Trent Alvey, John Bell, Claire Taylor, John Sproul, Emily Plewe, Josh Winegar, and Brian Taylor. Other artists from across the country include elin o’hara slavick, Mathew Hamon, Timothy Bellavia, Laura Gillen, Edith Abeyta, Michael Cinque, Paul Valadez, Silvia Velez, Jing, Zhou, and Scott Andrew.

The “Plastic Propaganda Poster Project” sponsored by the Environmental Studies Department at Westminster College will hang in various locations on campus including the Shaw Student Center, the Gore School of Business, the Meldrum Science Center and the Giovale Library. An opening reception will be held on Tuesday March 27 from 6:00 to 8pm in the Gore School of Business. A screening of the the award winning documentary , film “Bagit”, http://www.bagitmovie.com/, will be held in conjunction with this exhibition on the opening night Tuesday March 27 at 7pm in the Gore Business School Auditorium.

Please contact Laura Sharp Wilson at laurasharpwilson@gmail.com or (360) 349-6973 for more information.