Particulates Matter

Exhibition Update

2009-05-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone.

As for new exhibitions going forward, I plan on bringing the exhibit to the Nevada County Fair this summer, more details to be announced as I get them.

I'd also like to mention that the attendance at the Cal EPA Earth Day event was about 5,000 people - so not too shabby at all. We had some good press promoting the art exhibit too, there were articles in the Sacramento Bee and on a local environmental blog announcing the exhibition.

http://www.sacbee.com/livinghere/story/1783191-p2.html

http://sacramentogreenspeak.blogspot.com/2009/04/celebrate-earth-day.html

Thanks to those two sources for helping to spread the word.

The Exhibition

2009-04-23T14:20:00.001-07:00

Well, Earth Day has come and passed. The event was very well attended, I got a very nice spot in the main lobby for the exhibit, and there were a lot of people checking out the artwork. I got a lot of positive feedback about it. Here is a picture just before the event began.

It was hard to fit so much artwork into a relatively small space, so I had to be creative. Most of the art received was laminated in 81/2 X 11 inch sheets with labels indicating the artist and state/country. These were bound together with binder clips and placed on two display stands that I made myself. This created what were essentially two 'rolodexes of art'. You can see them on the far left side of the table. The downside of this setup was that not everyone's art was visible at the same time. However, most people flipped trough to see quite a bit of the art, and a good number of people looked at all of it.

Some artwork was too textured to laminate. These pieces were put on clips and hung from a rope. The rope was suspended from a Cal/EPA banner. The 3-D pieces from Susan Wendlant's class were put out on the table (middle) and the 3-D boxes from Mia Half were in a container on one of the rolodexes.

On the right side of the table was a poster about particulate matter that had actual samples from different parts of the state along with filters that you could touch and samples that you could smell.

In this picture you can also see the table to the right which had paper and art supplies for kids to make their own art. This was very popular. Kids were encouraged to make art with themes related to particulate matter, and could either take their art home or have it hung on the wall to add to the show. Most kids opted to take it home. One kid made a very nice drawing of a steamshovel, added it to the show, and then decided she had to have it after the event was over, so I had to dig through my boxes to find it to give it back to her. Kids are funny like that. The beautiful lady in the yellow dress (which she made herself) is my wife, and the little girl with the ponytails is my daughter. They were very nice to come help me hold down the fort.

This is a picture taken at the end of the day. Note the children's art that was added to the show on the rope to the left of the table. I'm the dorky looking guy on the right who didn't realize his picture was being taken. This is where I stood most of the day, accosting passersby with details about the art and particulate matter in general. I regret not having taken any 'action shots' of people checking out the exhibit. Sorry about that. Most of the day there were 6-10 people at a time checking the booth out and I was too busy talking to them to take pictures. Some EPA employees took pictures during the event, and I will post those here as soon as I get them.

I'd like to say thank you to everyone who took the time to make art for the show, to the fine people at the Cal EPA building who organized Earth Day, to my family for helping out, to my boss for letting me escape the lab briefly to do this, and last, but not least, to the CHP officer in the booth next to mine whose chairs I stole before he showed up (sorry you had to stand all day, but the kids needed a place to sit and there was a chair shortage. I stood all day too if it's any consolation).

The next stop for the art will probably be the Nevada County Fair this summer, I will let you know if/when that is going to happen.

The Deadline has Passed...

2009-04-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder to anyone who might be coming by the blog at this point - the deadline has passed for receiving artwork for the project. If anything trickles in at this point I'll do my best to include it, but I can't make any promises. I'm now busy putting everything together and getting it ready for the exhibition. Pictures of the exhibit will be posted on this blog some time shortly after Earth Day. Take care everyone.

Susan Wendlandt's Students - WI, USA

2009-04-08T15:06:00.001-07:00

A very big thank you goes out to Susan Wendlandt's students for their great contributions to the project. I received 2-D art from 29 different students, and 3-D art from 8 different students, all of them in grades 3-8. Great job guys.

Lauren Backhaus 5^th grade

Jordan Veers 4^th grade

Mitchell Martin 8^th grade

Beau Martin 5^th grade

Joy Schwanz 6^th grade

Nick Okon 5^th grade

Alexis Langteau 5^th Grade

Nick Okon 5^th grade

Bailey Ann Hollatz 4^th grade

Staas Wolter 7^th grade

Mikayla Schmitt 4^th grade

Megyn Strangfeld 4^th grade

Spencer Bittner 3^rd grade

Katie Rusch 3^rd grade

Amanda Whitford 4^th grade

Zach Korth 7^th grade

Ethan Posteluk 4^th grade

Katie Streckert 5^th grade

Zach Korth 7^th grade

Jessica Trad 5^th Grade

Tess Frey 3rd grade

Marion Schneider 5^th grade

Trevor Schmitt 7^th Grade

Josh Vehrs 7^th grade

Sophie Ackerman 4^th grade

Breanna Peskie 5^th grade

Ryan Nack 5^th grade

Breanna Balderas 5^th grade

Nathan Thomack 3^rd grade

Seth Peterson 4^th grade

“Brainiac” Mitchell Martin 8^th grade

“Glue Forest” Lianying Schneider 8^th grade

“Lazer 3000X2F” Jackson Van Den Heuvel 5^th grade

Jedidiah Burdick 8^th grade

Ryan Nack 5^th grade

“Rubber Band Phobia” Ashleigh Sternitzky 7^th grade

“Balloon” Zachary Korth 7^th grade

Eugenio Giustizieri - Italy

2009-04-05T16:33:00.000-07:00

Very nice collages - I really like the inclusion of the foil. Thanks for the visual poetry too.

Ellen Gella - CA, USA

2009-04-04T10:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks Ellen, sorry to hear about the problem with your neighbor. You can always lobby your local government to institute new rules regarding fireplaces. We have rules in Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley now that forbid using fireplaces when the inversion layer is low and the smoke will tend to linger in the air.

Snappy - Canada

2009-04-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks Snappy, I dig your your collage. I have to say though, I was tempted to scan it with the envelope on.

Daniel De Culla - Spain

2009-04-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the drawings Daniel, very nice!

Joan Desmond - CA, USA

2009-03-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

This is entitled "Breathe no Evil". Thanks very much Joan. No need to worry about compromising on the format, I think your piece is great.

Valdemar Cher - Sweden

2009-03-23T11:15:00.001-07:00

I guess that guy's breath is particulately disgusting. Sorry, I just love a bad pun. Thanks Valdemar.

Tania Krosse - Sweden

2009-03-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hmmm.... I'm not sure exactly what kind of statement you're trying to make. Is it that particulate matter is crappy??

Evie Satijadi - Indonesia

2009-03-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

Good Stuff Evie. Nice to hear from Indonesia.

Keith Bates - Canada

2009-03-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

Much obliged, Keith. And I know that this is a nerdy thing to say, but I can't help it - the star trek stamp is awesome.

Silvio De Gracia - Argentina

2009-03-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks Silvio. May there always be 'no vacancy' at Hotel Dada. Unless, of course, you would prefer vacancy.

Carlos Botana - Spain

2009-03-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks Carlos. I'm a fan of prolonged exposure photography too.

Jennifer Zoellner - FL, USA

2009-03-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

Great paintings! Lover the personalized postage too, I've been meaning to do that myself.

Exhibition Information

2009-03-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

Particulates Matter Mail Art Exhibition

Earth Day, April 22nd 2009

California EPA Headquarters

1001 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814

The exhibition will be part of the larger Earth Day Celebration that will include a wide variety of displays and activities with environmental themes. It is held in conjunction with the California EPA ‘Take Your Child to Work Day’, so there will be a good deal of material geared towards children, although most of the material will interest adults as well. The event is open to attendance by the public, although building security requires that you get a ‘visitor’s pass’ at the front desk.

Josh Ronsen - TX, USA

2009-03-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks Josh, and I'm looking forward to seeing your 'tiny box' project.

Giovanni StraDA DA Ravenna - Italy

2009-03-02T19:26:00.001-08:00

Long live DADA!! Thanks Giovanni.

Ivan Carreno - Spain

2009-03-02T18:12:00.000-08:00

Thatnks so much Ivan, very nice! I also really enjoyed the music on your CD.

Nelson Rolando Tamani - Nicaragua

2009-02-26T11:36:00.000-08:00

Cool artwork Nelson. Glad to see I'm not the only one who does digital stuff.

Cynthia Potter - NC, USA

2009-02-26T11:32:00.000-08:00

Thanks Cynthia. Your drawing makes me want to sneeze, by the way.

Jaromir Svozilik - Norway

2009-02-17T17:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks Jaromir. Nice to see Norway participating in the exhiition.

Claudia Ligorria - Argentina

2009-02-16T12:42:00.000-08:00

Very nice! Thank you very much Claudia. I am also very impressed that Argentina has its own superhero.

Hong In Young - South Korea

2009-02-10T20:12:00.000-08:00

Excellent 10 cm X 10 cm piece, Hong. I particularly (no pun intended) like the use of bubble wrap.

Dorian Ribas Marinho - Brasil

2009-02-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

Very cool prints Dorian. I especially dig the chest X-ray.

Horst Baur - Germany

2009-02-10T09:32:00.000-08:00

Very cool, Horst. Thanks. By the way, your name very closely resembles something I hold near and dear, the "host bar". (Meaning that there's a bar at a party where all the drinks are paid by for by the host.)

Miahalf - BC, Canada

2009-01-26T14:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Mia. The little boxes are awesome!

Samuel Montalvetti - Argentina

2009-01-26T14:21:00.000-08:00

Thanks Samuel, I appreciate it.

Fabio Sassi - Italy

2009-01-04T10:13:00.001-08:00

This would be an awesome warning sign; high PM area, stay away! Thanks Fabio.

Some Self-Contributions

2008-12-30T06:57:00.001-08:00

Here are a few contributions that I made myself. I'll be posting more as I do them, primarily to give people ideas. The first one is a 2.5 cm square wood sculpture (wood burning is a major source of PM), then a 2.5 cm diameter ball of steel wool and twine (represents industry). The next two pieces are 2.5 cm square and 10 cm square laminated actual PM10 samples taken from Sacramento, CA (smaller one) and Calexico (larger one).

Eric Randall - GA, USA

2008-12-30T06:50:00.001-08:00

Eric, thanks for the awesome picture of fluorescent brain cells. Cellular biology rocks!

Ct. Pf. Joseph A. Uphoff, Jr. - CO, USA

2008-12-09T12:44:00.000-08:00

Great picture, thanks. I also really enjoyed the enclosed literature.

Chantal Laurin - QC, Canada

2008-11-21T07:44:00.001-08:00

Wonderful 10cm and 2.5cm works. Cool idea for a way to send them too. Thanks very much Chantal!

Roberto Keppler - Brazil

2008-11-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

Roberto, I do know of Sao Paulo. I hear it is one of the largest cities in the world. Particulate matter levels tend to be higher in the winter everywhere. The cold, still air, low inversion layer, and people using their fireplaces makes Winter the 'high PM season'. How is the air there in Sao Paulo typically speaking?

Goran Zivadinovic - Germany

2008-10-31T19:45:00.000-07:00

A couple wonderful 10cm postcards from Germany. Very topical, and bonus points for incorporating a dinosaur.

Katherine Fincher - NC, USA

2008-10-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Thank you very much Katherine!

Eliso Silva - Venezuela

2008-10-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

Great 2.5cm X 2.5cm contributions all the way from Venezuela.

Test Tower - WA, USA

2008-10-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

A view of the 'PM Lung Tissue Garden' from Test Tower. Thanks Test!

Daniel De Culla - Spain

2008-10-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

Two collage/drawings from Daniel De Culla of Spain. Much appreciated.

Pati Bristow - CA, USA

2008-10-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

A very nice 10 cm X 10 cm fold-out from Los Altos, CA.

Ryosuke Cohen - Japan

2008-10-14T08:36:00.001-07:00

A contribution in the form of the famous and long-running 'Brain Cell' project from Ryosuke Cohen. Thanks.

Vittore Baroni - Italy

2008-10-02T08:11:00.000-07:00

Wow! What an amazing contribution Vittore. He sent in the 2.5 cm piece, 10 cm piece, and very impressive mini rubbertamp all shown here along with much, much more. Thanks!

Lubomyr Tymviv - Ukraine

2008-10-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the contribution, Lubomyr, and kudos on the use of recycled materials.

Goran Zivadinovic - Serbia

2008-10-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful city Belgrade is. Thanks Goran.

Helene Lagache - Bordeaux, France

2008-09-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

Another contribution from Helene Lagache of France. The text translates to "A Little Air on Earth". Merci.

Monica Rex - CA, USA

2008-09-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

A very nice postcard from Monica Rex of Los Angeles. Thanks!

Adamandia Kapsalis - IL, USA

2008-09-16T09:08:00.001-07:00

A really nice series of drawings, Adamandia. Thanks.

Servane Morel - Belgium

2008-09-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

What a great collage/drawing, Servane. It also has one of the coolest stamps I've ever seen on it - a circular stamp honoring a virologist (top right corner). Being a molecular biologist, I'm pretty biased, but that is awesome.

Aaron Holmquist - Venezuela

2008-09-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

A very nice PM collage from Venezuela. Hugs and smile right back atcha!

Ko De Jonge - Netherlands

2008-09-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

This piece of mail art titled "Touch by Man" was received in a clear glassine envelope. Thanks, Jonge.

Helene Lagache - Bordeaux, France

2008-09-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

I just received the first piece of mail art from Europe, a lovely bit of fresh air from Helene Lagache of Bordeaux, France. Thanks Helene.

Wacky Stuff - BC, Canada

2008-08-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to Wacky Stuff for his contribution of these lovely 2.5 cm X 2.5 cm artist's stamps.

William L Philyaw - KA, USA

2008-08-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

A visually stunning digital print from William Philyaw highlighting industry as a source of PM and pollen as a component of PM. The postcard was shipped inside the envelope pictured at the bottom. Kudos on the vintage stamps as well, William.

Dewi - Ontario, Canada

2008-07-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

An excellent piece of mail art illustrating some sources and components of PM, along with some non-PM pollutants such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

Michael Kudela - NY, USA

2008-07-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here are two very nice contributions illustrating PM sources from Michael Kudela of Niagra Falls, NY. He sent me postcards with a line drawn on them to show where to cut to make the artwork 10cm X 10cm. This way a normally sized postcard can be sent without extra postage, and yet I can still make it the right size for the exhibition. Excellent idea Michael, and thanks!

Chevalier Daniel C Boyer - MI, USA

2008-07-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

A wonderful 10 cm X 10 cm eraser print. Thanks! Say ya to da U.P. eh!

Keith A. Buchholz - MO, USA

2008-07-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

The first piece of Mail Art has arrived!

Update Regarding Size

2008-07-02T07:04:00.000-07:00

I would like to encourage everyone to make art in the aforementioned sizes as it will make for a good visual aid. However, since the small sizes are a bit odd and more difficult to mail, if you want to send a regularly sized postcard that's fine too. Please don't let the size requirement dissuade you from participating. Thanks.

Particulates Matter

2008-06-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

Particulate Matter (PM) in the air can cause or worsen lung disease and heart disease, especially in the elderly and very young. In the USA, tens of thousands of people die prematurely due to PM every year, and countless more suffer. PM is a much more serious problem in developing nations with fewer pollution controls. Please help increase awareness about PM by participating in the mail art exhibition “Particulates Matter”.

PM is divided into two categories - PM up to 10 microns in diameter (PM10) and PM up to 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5). As a play on this, artwork should be about 10cm X 10cm or 2.5cm X 2.5cm for 2-D artwork, or about 10cm X 10cm X 10cm or 2.5 cm X 2.5 cm X 2.5 cm for 3-D artwork. Artwork will be exhibited along with a scale model of a human hair (80 cm diameter) to emphasize how tiny these particles are.

Art can be on the theme of PM itself (depicting or made with PM), PM sources (diesel exhaust, wood smoke, industry, etc.), the health effects of PM (asthma, heart attack, stroke), or artwork can simply be ‘a breath of fresh air’ (no theme, but still meeting size requirements). Any technique may be used – collage, photography, drawing, painting, artist’s stamps, sculpture, assemblage, and so on. All art received will be posted on this blog.

An exhibition is to be held in Sacramento, CA on Earth Day 2009. Documentation will be provided online. Other exhibitions and future publication of material is possible depending upon opportunities and the response to this call. No jury, no fee, no returns. Please send art with your name, address, and email to:

Scott Ray Randall
21294 Leslie Drive
Grass Valley, CA 95945
USA

Deadline to be received is March 31, 2009.

For any questions or comments feel free to email me at scottrayrandall@gmail.com