Susan Bercu
ENVIRONMENT
Community
“Cast-Off Streamers” Helen Putnam Plaza in Petaluma, CA. Community participation workshops.
Human Trash as Material for Art
My collaborative art events raised awareness of our planet drowning in plastic and assorted cast-off materials. Our over-consumption results in billions of metric tons of waste that go into the landfill. The community workshops used plastics and other refuse to create "Cast-Offs Streamers”. As a recipient of the ArtSurround* artist grant, I facilitated the “Cast-Offs Streamers” interactive activities with the public in Putnam Plaza. The streamers were hung from the trees in the Plaza. My cohort, Cinda Gilliland worked with the City of Petaluma to guide the project.
*ArtSurround of Creative Sonoma provided the grants to fund these vital community interactive events. CreativeSonoma is a division of the Sonoma County Economic Development Board dedicated to supporting and advancing the creative community of Sonoma County.
“Cast-Off Streamers” and Masks. Children’s Museum of Sonoma County. Santa Rosa, CA
The Children's Museum of Sonoma County received a grant from Creative Sonoma to hold events to create awareness of waste and energy consumption.
Cast-Offs Streamers The museum invited me as the featured artist to conduct workshops creating cast-offs streamers from discarded plastics and other junk. We gathered in the Redwood Grove where we attached the various materials to braided plastic ropes and hung them from the tree branches.
Masks I was invited by the museum to facilitate a mask-making workshop using donated baskets and discarded junk.
Recology Sonoma Marin offered complimentary activities.