Dayton-area artists bring design to climate awareness

The exhibition, at the Woodbourne Library, is on display until the end of March

Fires, floods and throw-away consumerism are among the inspirational topics behind a new exhibition of work by Dayton-area artists.

The Climate Awareness Project, 17 artist interpretations of environmental concerns for the planet, is on display at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Ave. in Centerville.

Cathy Jeffers, a fiber artist from Centerville, organized the exhibition to bring awareness to the global issues.

“The climate is tangible, and these artists give us a punch to remember what is going on,” she said.

Jeffers created bright orange flames and grey smoke from fabric for a quilt she was motivated to make after she saw images of koala bears trying to escape the Australian fires last year.

Photography, sculpture and paintings are among the mediums on display.

Students from We Care Arts used the cyanotype process to create studies of flowers. The art was encouraged by a study in a science journal that found ultraviolent pigments in flowers increased in the last 75 years due to rising temperatures and a thinning ozone layer.

Two sculptures by artist Tess Little celebrate bamboo, a sustainable alternative to wood. “It is my hope that our society adapts to the skills and technology to widely use bamboo as a rapid growing material that will allow us to save our forests,” she wrote in her artist’s statement.

Tracy McElfresh, an artist and owner of Tracy’s Sewing Studio, hopes people will consider how much they consume and to consider quality over quantity when making purchases.

She has created two dresses with matching caps out of recycled clothing for the display.

One of the designs, in a patchwork 1970s-style pattern, is made of eight dresses purchased at thrift stores for $1.

“There is already just about anything you can think of in the world at a thrift store,” she said. “It boggles my mind when I see somebody who has never been in a thrift store buying something used, and they are completely overwhelmed by the nice things that are in there.”

Dayton area artists participating in the exhibition include Caitlin Cartwright, Lori Daugherty, Mike Elsass, Rusty Harden, Cathy Jeffers, Heidi Meade, Tess Little, Marsha Pippenger, Sarah Routman, Sharon Stoltzenberger, Niki Strouss, Marilyn Anderson, Virginia Burroughs, Lauren Gruber, Cindy Mujusick, Heide Steinke Meade and We Care Arts. Some of the artwork is for sale.

The exhibition will be on display through March 31. Woodbourne Library hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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