The University of Rhode Island Honors Department has approved this capstone project as part of a student initiative for completion of the Honors Program. You are invited to enter an attachment of any artwork of your choice that encompasses your interpretation of the environment to compete in a campus-wide art exhibition. Any and all art forms are highly encouraged! Anything from painters and poets to dancers and digital photographers, all are welcome to enter their expertise for this event!
All entries submitted by March 18, 2019 will be considered for presentation at the end of semester exhibition on May 1, 2019 (Details to come).
The top 3 winners will be awarded a cash prize and certificate of excellence.
The goal of this project is to combine knowledge of the environment and interest in the arts to pose a new opportunity to students of URI. There are multiple areas of environmental concern that require not only scientific research but increased public awareness in order to motivate further action toward preservation or remediation of our environment. Businessmen can worsen or improve our environment, scientists can monitor the situation and provide critical data, but artists can provide the emotional link that connects us all to the matters at hand. Want to speak out? We want to hear the voices of the artists!
Due to the countless benefits art has on physical and mental well-being, this project will allow for a diverse learning experience that will promote artists and members of the general public alike to learn something new about the natural world, and in turn motivate us all to act in a more positive and ecologically responsible way towards the world. There is a multitude of artistic avenues to be taken that all produce an emotional link to learning through beneficial cognitive and physical effects. Thus, this project is not limited to acceptance of any one type of artistic medium for display in the final exhibition. Ultimately, the use of emotional learning through artistic renderings of the environment will be utilized to raise awareness for the portrayed environmental issues.
Please submit an original work that represents the environment in some way. Some themes may include, but are not limited to: climate change, environmental justice, natural resource conservation, or sustainability. Some examples of art pieces might include drawings, dance, film, photography, poetry, song, and more. All forms of art are welcome.
Any currently enrolled student of the University of Rhode Island may submit artwork to this project. Students in any department may enter a submission. Each individual can submit multiple entries. Each piece of art submitted must encompass some aspect of the environment and must be appropriate to present to the public at the end of the semester.
Entries will be reviewed by a panel of at least 6 jurors representing multiple disciplines across campus, including the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Environment and Life Sciences, and the Harrington School of Communication and Media. Represented departments might include professionals from Art and Art History, Film Media, Music, Natural Resources Science, Theater, Writing and Rhetoric and others.
Finalists will be announced in April 2019 to participate in an art exhibition to close the semester. Winners will be announced at the final exhibition.
Questions may be emailed to: elevate.our.envt@gmail.com