Art with a Message
RPAC Artist Meredith Mulhearn has Something to Say
If you’re strolling down Main Street during mid-January, you might be in for a surprise…a glance in the window of D. Colabella Fine Art Gallery may reveal this isn’t your everyday art exhibit.
The vision for what will be an eye-opening experience is the brainchild of conservation artist, Meredith Mulhearn, who’s journey as an artist originated from her love for nature. “When I started out, my art was very technically focused, but everything that inspires my artwork has always been connected to nature. That’s what grounds me,” says Mulhearn. “Nature sustains us – it allows for our survival as a species. We are destroying the very thing that sustains us.”
Although Mulhearn’s new work is provocative, she began by weaving her take on traditional tapestries. Her Roots collection speaks to themes of heritage, family, and community while eliciting a sense of grounding and balance. “My connection with nature drives my passion as an advocate for the planet. I use my tapestries to tell a story, the weavings represent life’s journeys,” says Mulhearn.
Culminating the exploration of her relationship with nature and the messages she wants to convey, Mulhearn will open a solo show, Bound by Plastic, at D. Collabella Gallery on January 18, 2024. The show’s mission is to serve as a wake-up call to explore our overconsumption and reliance on plastics, as well as the negative implications this has for the planet and one’s health.
Studies have shown that the average person ingests about a credit card worth of plastic every week, which has health implications that we don’t yet fully understand. It’s this kind of knowledge that fuels Mulhearn’s work as a conservation artist. “This is a humanity issue that can feel insurmountable when you think of it on a global scale. But it’s also an every day, every person issue. It can seem daunting to think about your impact as an individual person, so I hope that my art allows people to get inspired to implement change,” says Mulhearn.
Bound by Plastic will be an international collaboration that will include tapestries as well as a multi-media installation. Mulhearn has connected with Sissela Johansson, a Danish photographer she’s worked with in the past. Johansson’s ability to tell a visual story and evoke a visceral response made her the perfect complement to the show. The entire experience is brought together by the emotive music of Andy Leech, a Scottish musician who will provide the soundtrack to her show. “I was searching for music and I stumbled upon Andy’s profile online. I had such an emotional reaction to it that I knew it was exactly the energy I wanted to capture. So, I messaged him, explained my mission, and he was all in,” says Mulhearn.
Bound by Plastic is, in and of itself, a reflection of hope. Everyone who has participated in bringing this show together has done so without compensation. “Inspired by the mission and out of the kindness of their hearts, dozens of people have come together to make this event possible, some contributing countless hours to the cause,” Mulhearn explains. “It’s a reminder of what is possible when people join forces for the greater good.”
To emphasize the necessity for community solidification to solve this global problem, Mulhearn is inviting the public to play a role in the creation of one of the pieces for the show. She’s asking people to hold onto their discarded wrapping material, particularly ribbons and bows, this holiday season and donate what otherwise might be thrown away. She will incorporate these donations into a tapestry. “Ribbon is ideal because it can’t be recycled,” she says. She invites people to join her in RPAC Gallery prior to the January 18th opening, to watch the tapestry creation and even participate by weaving in their own donations.
Ahead of the opening, VIP passes will be sold, which will include an intimate preview before opening to the public, an opportunity to participate in an interactive immersive experience, and a keepsake to remind you of your positive impact.
While her artwork is often evocative, Mulhearn’s commitment to the cause is most certainly literal, her artwork directly supporting conservation initiatives. She blurs the line between art and philanthropy. All profits from VIP ticket sales for Bound by Plastic will be donated to 4Ocean, which aims at removing plastics from the waters.
Bound by Plastic at D. Collabella opens Thursday, January 18, 2024. For information about purchasing VIP passes, please visit dcolabellafineart.com. To see more of Meredith’s art, follow her on Instagram @meredith_mulhearn_art. You can learn more about the fight against single-use plastics, by going to 4ocean.com.