Recycled Art Premier Thursday at ArtSpace

By Barb Cram
October 22, 2012

The Clean Coast Project, a local non-profit, will co-host their Premiere Sculpture Show in collaboration with Falls Church Arts at 7pm Thursday October 25 at ArtSpace Falls Church.

The show displays sculptures built by Clean Coast (CC) artists including local resident Jen Driggers.  Andres Saavedra and others from the group contributed to create life-size human forms constructed over a two-month period from recycled plastic. These two same artists began the Clean Coast Project while students at George Mason University.

The art is built from recycled plastic collected by the waste management facility at George Mason University. During the period that they worked the team created original pieces and documented the process, so it could be displayed on their blog and social media sites. They keep an active online presence through their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cleancoastproject and through blog posts on their website at www.cleancoastproject.com .

The group actively participates with other organizations such as Friends of Accotink Creek to take part in trash pick-ups. They also collaborated with local trash artist Olivier Giron who holds a MFA from George Mason University in photography.

Although CC board members have full-time jobs they hope to one day shift their focus solely to the project. Jen Driggers graduated with a Bachelors of Art degree in Graphic Design at which point she formed an intense appreciation for the design process. She hopes to use her skills for advocacy as well as creation of sustainable design processes. Andres Saavedra graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and uses mediums such as video and photo to promote the project as well as help educate the general public about details of overconsumption that directly impact local communities. Both members are passionate about seeking recognizable and lasting change within their community.

Independent videos and short presentations will also be featured throughout the evening focusing on important data about recycling at George Mason University and The City of Falls Church.  Falls Church Arts, The City of Falls Church, The Falls Church Humanities Council (CATCH), TMP Pearson Square, LLC, and Bozzuto Management Co, and Creative Cauldron all cooperated to obtain space enabling this artwork to be constructed and presented to the public.  Falls Church Arts will also be having another recycling event, with ECO ART Show this coming March.

Given the wide success and stature of the recycling experience in the City of Falls Church over the last decade, this event provides a vehicle to recognize success and environmental challenges that still face us.

The event begins at 7 pm and is free and open to all. Light refreshments will be served.