Kansas State is hosting “Unearthed: Art of and from the Earth” April 24-27 in the Purple Masque Theatre. The purpose of this event is to display art pieces that illustrate conservation and issues in the environment.
‘Unearthed’ is part of K-State’s Green Week, a week of activities designed to encourage the connection between students and the green organizations on campus.
Green Week is not only focused on the environment, but also on promoting student involvement. Bailey Winters, freshman in art, said she is supportive of Green Week and is excited to see what the art exhibit will bring.
“I think the exhibit is a really great opportunity for students to show what they have been working on,” Winters said. “All of the pieces follow an environmental theme and it is interesting to see what everyone came up with and how their pieces reflect their feelings about today’s environment and the issues that are happening with it.”
With the theme of the exhibit centered around the environment, the students’ art made Winters more aware of the world around her.
“All of the art was really creative and illustrated different aspects of the environment very well,” Winters said. “I think it is great that Green Week gives people an opportunity to showcase their artwork and make others more aware of what is going on in the world that they are living in.”
Amber Berg, sophomore in regional and community planning and exhibition chair who has been working to coordinate the event in light of Green Week, shared her hopes for the exhibit.
“I hope that visitors of the exhibit see some of the artwork and are inspired in some kind of way,” Berg said. “I hope that ‘Unearthed’ will show people that even if art isn’t their thing, environmental action takes so many different forms, including what we are passionate about.”
Berg said many of the pieces are not what people would typically expect to see in an art exhibit.
“Most artwork is not the traditional artwork such as drawings or paintings,” Berg said. “A lot of the pieces that are submitted are made from recycled materials like water bottles and trash bags.”
Abby Rouse, sophomore in life science, appreciated the message the art pieces were conveying.
“I did not expect what I saw at the art show to send me the message that it did,” Rouse said. “People took recycled items and trash and turned it into a form of art. Not only did they turn it into a form of art but it sent a message about our world. I think Green Week and all of the events being held to go along with it is a great way to bring attention to what is going on in our environment today.”
The exhibit will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and from 11 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. on Thursday.
