The Waste Land on Earth?

Michael McLaghlin, Rivka in Autumn 

Harvard Ed Portal Crossings Gallery

224 Western Ave., Allston, MA 02134
An educational exhibition organized by Unbound Visual Arts
July 31- August 21, 2019

See photos from the August 8, 2019 Program and Reception

Directed by John Quatrale

Guest Curator: Caitlin Bowler

Exhibition Assistants – Alexandra Rugg, Peter Ferraro, Brianna Gilmore, Rachel Hargreaves, Mathew Gorab, Evelyn Markham

View the artwork in this exhibition.

See the review and recommendation by WBUR’s ARTery

See the Press Release.

Download the Exhibition Catalogue.

Participating Artists: Agusta  Agustsson, Lani Asuncion, Nancer Ballard, Jennifer Jean Costello, Nancy Crasco, Gary Duehr, Mary Gillis, Lynda Goldberg, Muriel Horvath, Tom Jackson, Amy Kelly, Elizabeth Lapides, Madeline Lee, Pauline Lim, Susan Loomis-Wing, Amy McGregor-Radin, Michael McLaughlin, Michaela Morse, Ruth Rieffanaugh, Alexandra Rozenman, Diane Sheridan, Jeannie Simms, Olga Tsetniva, Huma Yildirim

UVA Board of Directors  &  UVA Sustaining Member

Exhibition Summary

The Waste Land on Earth? explores the impacts of a culture built on a constant cycle of consumption on landscapes and communities. Artists respond in different ways to a world shaped by this disposable mindset.

Exhibition Sub-Themes

Still Lives with Big Mac, Material Landscapes, Reclaimed Landscapes, Prophetic Landscapes, Emotional Landscapes, Stitched Meditations, Trash? Dirt? Who says?, Transformations, Changing Relationships to Materials, Advocacy & Awareness, Imagining New Futures

 Full Curatorial Statement

Does it spark joy?

In the face of chaotic clutter in our homes, Japanese organizing guru Marie Kondo instructs us to mouth those words to each object we encounter. Address a jade vase or a yard sale racket set and really we are addressing the kami, or divine life, embodied in each object. No joy? Kondo advises us to respectfully toss it to the curb.

Modernity delivered cheap goods that made consumers feel rich, and the accompanying throwaway attitude still delivers a kind of freedom[RE1] . Why care when you can throw it away?  However, a cavalier attitude toward the production of stuff, followed by its swift disposal, has turned parts of our world into a wasteland of trash heaps. Kondo’s approach soothes individuals’ symptoms, but does not resolve the underlying collective illness.

The artists featured in The Waste Land On Earth? respond to a world shaped by this mindset of disposability. Their work reflects on our complicated relationships to the culture of stuff, the impact systems of production and distribution have on our shared landscape, and our changing relationships to the natural world.

Several painters depict urban landscapes around Boston, both gritty and lush, and incorporate found material scraps to provide texture and a physical dimension to their works. Others conjure portentous emotional landscapes borne of environmental catastrophe. One artist skewers fast food culture through art historical parody; another explores how the categories labeled “dirt” can be fluid, even as the language confers set values on those it describes.

A number of artists have transformed discarded materials and objects into provocative imagery. Others explore how humans’ relationship to the natural world continue to evolve in response to technological advances, urban development, and environmental stresses. Some offer visions of alternative futures, where the earth and all its inhabitants can thrive.Several works speak directly to the links between consumer desire, environmental degradation, and exploitation of vulnerable communities–the disposable among us.

Collectively, the artists and their work justify the question mark in the title of this exhibition. Their thoughtful and imaginative practices suggest we do not have to accept the damning statement: The Waste Land On Earth. Rather, we can imagine other, healthier futures, let those visions spark joy, and fight together to bring them to life.

Questions for consideration related to the theme of disposability:

• What role does disposability play in our culture?
• Can individuals really be disposable? How does the “disposable” mindset manifest in communities?
• How is disposability reflected in our landscapes and places ?
• What does sustainability mean to you?
• How are people building sustainable communities?
• What does sustainability look like in regards to landscapes and places?
• Have you imagined other futures?