Atlantic City art exhibition raises awareness of climate issues
Jane Biron holding her paintings before dropping them off at the Noyes Arts Garage. Credit: Jane Biron
Since she was a young girl, drawing murals on her bedroom walls with crayons and taking photos with her father’s Brownie camera, Jane Biron has had an aptitude and a love for art.
This love has followed her through adulthood and has shaped her career, with much of her work concentrating on the environment that surrounds her.
“I focus on whatever is around me, I go for a lot of walks, I hike a lot,” said Biron. “My husband takes me out every night — unless it's pouring rain or snowing — he takes me out every night to watch the sunset. We've been doing this for years. So I take photographs of the sunset, every day.”
Biron is a painter, sculptor, and photographer who recently unveiled two paintings in a new exhibition at the Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University in Atlantic City. Both paintings depict fires and were inspired by her concern about the impact that fire has on our planet.
Last month, the Noyes Arts Garage in Atlantic City opened its exhibition entitled Mother Nature vs Human Nature: The Inequity of Climate Resilience. The exhibition serves as the 2023 New Jersey Arts Annual, sponsored by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. The purpose of the exhibition, as described by the Noyes Arts Garage website, is to use art to provide the general public with an understanding of the connection between climate issues and human life.
The show is the largest in the museum's history and consists of 103 artists and 825 works of art. The pieces involve various mediums, including sculptures, paintings, photos, videos, mosaics, and more. It is split between the Atlantic City location and the Noyes Gallery at Kramer Hall in Hammonton.
“I am so proud of being able to be in that show, I think it’s just absolutely amazing,” said Biron. “I don't know how to go about any other way to do things in life except through art, one form of art or another, and to be able to convey to people the importance of taking care of the planet is essential at this point.”
Environmentalists and scientists all around the world are looking for ways to increase awareness about the many issues that are negatively impacting our planet and what we can do to help. Many are choosing to do this through art.
Lisa Bagwell is another artist who is featured in this exhibition. She is a sculptor who builds things out of found objects.
“I started collecting objects destined for the trash can and I have been building with them ever since,” said Bagwell.
Her piece, The Future of Water, is a sculpture of a hand holding a disposable bottle. The hand is made primarily from discarded cigar tips she has collected from beaches over the years. Bagwell spoke about her passion for environmental issues and being able to combine that passion with her art.
“I am very proud to be a part of this exhibition and hope other art spaces see the need for environmentally-themed art shows,” Bagwell said. “It’s my personal choice to have a message in my art, and I’m at my best when I create a piece that speaks to the urgency of our environmental situation.”
The subject of the exhibition is likely to engage viewers and experts all around the world, with 72% of people globally saying they’re concerned about the impacts of our warming planet, according to the Pew Research Center.
California-based marine scientist and artist Ethan Estess told CivicStory about the importance he places on combining art and science, echoing the message the Noyes Exhibition is sending with their new exhibit.
“Artists have this great role to play in terms of communicating research that is oftentimes super abstract and complex,” said Estess. “Scientists are often taught and trained to leave emotion out of their reporting, to just report the facts. But artists are on the opposite end of the spectrum … they’re emotion creators.”
Estess is originally a marine scientist who worked for several years in marine research. Since then, he has shifted to making art full time. In 2016, he started Countercurrent Art, a nonprofit organization that uses science-based art projects to create awareness and encourage positive change for ocean health.
“Fore the Waves” Credit: Ethan Estess
Through their artistic endeavors and inclusion in the Noyes Arts Museum exhibition, Jane Biron and Lisa Bagwell hope to spread awareness about the health of our planet and encourage positive changes.
“With all of my work I hope that people think about how their lives and choices impact the planet, as well as humanity as a whole,” said Bagwell.
“One of art’s superpowers is that it reaches people, regardless of their background, regardless of their education level, language, literacy,” added Estess. “You never know if you’re going to spark somebody’s imagination.”
Mother Nature vs Human Nature: The Inequity of Climate Resilience at the Noyes Arts Garage will be open to the public until its closing reception on June 3.