THE BIG MELT
THE BIG MELT Premieres at Art Project Paia in Show Raising Awareness for Climate Change
Kristin Hettermann Hopes to Raise Awareness for Glacier Ice Loss in Alaska with 54 Piece Installation
Gallery owner and artist Tatiana Botton of Art Project Paia believes our planet is losing the fight against climate change and aspires to do something about it. With the opening of Art Project Paia’s latest show, SHE WAS BLUE, she hopes to highlight the challenges that the planet is facing from global warming and inspire people to take action.
“I think in general nature inspires artists; it is the ultimate and perfect beauty. With this show, I hope to use beauty to inspire understanding and action,” Botton says. “The world has lost blue from the imprint that humans have had on the earth. We gave artists the option to take the color blue and this issue literally or figuratively.” Twenty-one diverse artists will be featured in the exhibition, half of whom call Maui home.
Activist Kristin Hettermann’s installation for the show, THE BIG MELT, showcases a photography collage of 54 pieces depicting the Sawyer Glacier in Southeast Alaska. Hanging approximately 9 feet by 5 feet, the piece in total models the graph of glacier ice loss over fifteen years in Alaska. Regarding the inspiration for the piece, “I was dumbfounded to learn that from 2002-2017, Alaska glaciers thinned by an average of several feet per year; 60 billion tons of ice a year equals 900 billon tons of ice over fifteen years,” Hettermann states. “I hope seeing the beauty of the shots while observing the big picture of the loss will elicit a deeper level of human understanding to the challenges we are facing.” Read Kristin’s Opinion Piece in Scientific American, Iceless in Alaska, here.
Botton takes this show a bit more political than her past shows, with climate change being at the forefront of the news and a political party divider. Using art to open dialogue about the issue at hand, SHE SAW BLUE will present a subtle political speech dedicated to repairing the damage we have done to the planet and protecting it for generations to come. ”I feel everyone wants to do their part to fight global warming but the subject is overwhelming for many; there is not a simple answer or solution. But we can all do something, locally or globally,” Botton states. “Plant a tree, compost, donate to charities, use renewable energy, just say no to single use plastic, march with the masses … there are many ways we can get involved in the fight every day, we just need to say yes.”
The show will run until Summer of 2020. A portion of proceeds from sales will benefit Whale Trust based on Maui, supporting research efforts surrounding how climate change is affecting our humpback whales.
SHE SAW BLUE SHOW OPENING PARTY: FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Saturday, December 7th, 2019
5:30 - 10 PM; viewing with cocktails, pupu, and live music
Art Project Paia, 77 Hana Highway
Featuring artists:
Lisa Bartleson, Larry Berko, Taylor Binda, Casper Brindle, Tatiana Botton, Dina Cline, Christina Craemer, Lawrie Crawford, Alex Couvenberg, Raul de la Torre, Charlie Edminston, Kristin Hettermann, Kari McCarthy, Mallory Morrison, Barbara Kolo, Chase Langford, Bryan Ricci, Nike Schroeder, Gay Summer Rick, Jonathan Swanz, Michael de Nicola.
UPCOMING EXHIBITION EVENT: OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Saturday, December 28th, 2019
$20 suggested minimum donation a person, all proceeds benefit Whale Trust
For more info and to reserve your space: http://artprojectpaia.com/
BLUE TEARS FOR BIG FEARS: WHAT ALASKA’S MELTING FRONTIER TELLS US ABOUT A CHANGING WORLD
Meet and greet and presentation by artist and activist Kristin Hettermann and her fiancé Sven Lindblad from Lindblad Expeditions. Discussion on the visible changes of the ice melt in Alaska; the intent behind her piece, THE BIG MELT; and her experiences with climate change in the field.
5:30 - 7 PM
Art Project Paia, 77 Hana Highway
ABOUT ART PROJECT PAIA
Since the summer of 2013, Art Project Paia has offered Maui a fresh and complimentary art perspective. Art Project Paia represents up and coming and established international, mainland, and local artists with a distinct Hawaiian sensitivity. Works of photography, painting, collage, drawing, sculpture, and ceramic are presented in a multidisciplinary gallery experience right in the heart of Paia town.
199 Hana Highway, artpaia@icloud.com, 808.214.6949
Open 7 days a week: Monday to Saturday - 12pm to 6pm, Sunday - 11 to 5pm