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PDX Weather Advisory, AKA April
One of my very favorite words is from Nepal: रङ्गी-चङ्गी; written in letters, raṅgii-caṅgii; and pronounced, rungy-chungy. This fabulous word (which does not have an English equivalent in my opinion) means crazy, multi-colored, splendid, fancy, exciting and fun! It was the design inspiration for one of my newest sculptures, PDX Weather Advisory, created for the Port of Portland which runs the Portland International Airport.
This raṅgii-caṅgii adventure began after listening to a presentation about the PDX Airport’s waste minimization efforts at a meeting about reuse of commercial waste streams. As I listened to Kaileigh Westermann, a Waste Minimization Project Lead from the Port of Portland, I was astounded to learn that the Port has implemented a five-year plan to achieve 90 percent or greater landfill diversion rates at its facilities. Let me repeat that: 90% landfill diversion– that is a TRULY impressive goal! To achieve this, they have an extensive on-site recycling program and provide technical assistance to airport tenants and airlines to reduce waste and recycle a wide variety of materials. Their composting program (unusual for an airport to have!) has diverted over 1,300 tons of food waste from the landfill and they also have a food donation program that has donated 130,000 lbs of food, or 85,000 meals, since its inception in 2013. I also learned that the Port has FOUR other equally impressive sustainability programs!
Next it was my turn to give a presentation to the group about my work. After the meeting, Kaileigh asked if I could help the Port tell the story of their sustainability programs in a creative, eye-catching way for Earth Day. “YES, I’m your gal!” I proclaimed enthusiastically and a dynamic collaboration began. We met many times over the next several months, fleshing out details such as:
April on display at the PDX Airport
- The overall design concept- we settled on a rain gear outfit with five parts (umbrella, hat, scarf, coat and boots) that would each represent one of the Port’s five sustainability programs, and reference Portland’s notoriously wet climate.
- The message – we met with representatives from each of the five sustainability programs (air, water, energy, natural resources and waste minimization) to discuss what message they wanted to convey and the waste materials they generate that I could use in the garment to tell their story.
The day that Kaileigh delivered the materials, she looked at the mix-matched pile of coffee cups, electrical wire, old magazines, invasive dried grass, and parking garage tickets with an overwhelmed expression on her face and said:
“I’m glad you’re the one making this thing, not me!”
“Yes, well that is my specialty!” I said with a confident smile, but internally feeling as befuddled as she looked.
And the uncertainty continued for a week until I said to my partner: “I’m kind of drawing a blank here. How am I going to make a cohesive design with FIVE different elements from such diverse materials?” In a flash of inspiration Nicole said: “Maybe you should lean into the miscellany of the materials and create something that is multi-colored, multi-patterned and multi-textured so that what ties it together is the craziness of each element!” In that moment my favorite word popped into my head and the ideas started to flow! “YES, it will be raṅgii-caṅgii– a crazy, multi-colored, splendid, fancy, exciting and fun extravaganza!”
Thus off we went down the winding path of creating PDX Weather Advisory, AKA April. We choose the name as it has several pertinent meanings:
- The word “weather” references the fact that it is rain gear, AND relates to climate change.
- The word “advisory” in conjunction with weather, refers to a weather term AND implies a warning… which is really the subtext of all my work.
- Her nickname is April though because PDX Weather Advisory does not exactly roll off the tongue, and she was finished in the month of April for Earth Day.
Yes, April needed to be completed by Earth Day. I stated after Valentine’s Day and it took 440 hours to make the sculpture, it was a pretty raṅgii-caṅgii ride! There is no way I could have done it without the help of more than 35 very generous volunteers: people ranging from Port employees, neighbors I had never met before, mothers of high school classmates, and old friends I had not seen in 30 years helped me finish April by Earth Day. We held work parties at the Port, in a local brew pub, at SCRAP (a local reuse center) and my studio. Thanks to each and every one of you– I see your contributions all over this sculpture and it is part of what makes it so special to me!
One of the volunteer work parties
So let me introduce you to April (AKA PDX Weather Advisory):
- RAINCOAT: Representing the Waste Minimization Program, disposable coffee cups cut into iconic Portland images are sewn to the coat and encourage travelers to reuse items such as coffee cups and water bottles.
- UMBRELLA: Representing the Air Quality Program, this umbrella is swirling with parking garage tickets, highlighting their program’s reduction in emissions from idling vehicles.
- HAT: Representing the Natural Resources Program, a hat-collage of insects and wildlife photos cut from old periodicals emphasizes the Port’s various protection programs and mitigation projects.
- SCARF: Representing the Energy Program, scrap electrical wire is woven into a scarf to highlight the clean energy and energy efficiency programs.
- BOOTS: Representing the Water Quality Program, these boots feature Reed Canarygrass, an invasive species that threatens wetlands. The Port works to manage this invasive species on mitigation lands, as well as many others, to support healthy watersheds and water quality.
Detail of the coat, covered with scrap plastic film to provide protection from the rain!
One of the neat things for me about making the raincoat specifically was the connection to Portland in the collaged images. I was born and raised here, but left when I went to college. I returned two years ago and having been away almost 30 years it has been lovely rediscovering my home town. This coat was a surprising way to become reacquainted with the places I knew growing up and that are new to me as well. Cutting out the silhouettes of the Oregon Health and Science buildings called “Pill Hill”, collaging the bumps and shadows on Mt. Hood, and sewing down the Marcum bridge that my sister climbed before it opened in 1970. I found after making this coat that I had a new and surprising intimacy with the details of my beloved City.
When April was completed, she was on display in the Airport and now Port staff is taking her to various events around Portland to inform people about their sustainability programs. She will then become part of an exhibition of about six pieces I will have at Portland Fashion Week in September and then join 20 other of my new works in a major yearlong solo exhibit in the Atlanta Airport in 2017/2018!
Interactive sculpture description
Kaileigh Westermann and the Port’s Corporate Communications, created a fabulous hands-on interactive display to accompany the sculpture. The board has three columns, the first has the materials (attached to Velcro) used to create April; the second has images of the coat, hat, boots, umbrella and scarf; and the third column has the name of each sustainability program on pieces of foam core. People can then match the material with the piece of clothing and the program it represents. It is a great way of engaging people in learning both about the sculpture as well as the airports sustainability programs. However, the story that PDX Weather Advisory tells is just the tip of the iceberg; the Port has many more inspiring sustainability programs! For example in their headquarters located at the Airport, their waste water is recycled through a “Living Machine” made of plants and underground gravel chambers!
Part of what made creating PDX Weather Advisory such a raṅgii-caṅgii experience, was that I had just finished (two days before) another sculpture called “Bella”, and was simultaneously working on a third piece, “Pacifica”, for the Nature Conservancy, also due at the same time. There was literally no way I could have completed these three sculptures in four months if it were not for ALL the people who volunteered their time to help!
I want to give a special thanks to Kaileigh for chauffeuring this project through all of the bureaucratic windy roads that needed to be navigated. To Erin, Grace and Lisa also from the Port for your many contributions, and to Stan Jones, Kaileigh’s boss who said “Go for it!” when she came to him with the initial idea. It was great to work with and get to know all of you, thank you for this wonderful opportunity!
Click here to watch TV coverage of PDX Weather Advisory!
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Information and registration: Upcycled Fashion Workshop
This video shows the process of creating the sculpture “Pacifica” for The Nature Conservancy in Oregon. It will be part of Portland Fashion Week. “Pacifica” will join 20 other new sculptures by Nancy Judd for a year long solo exhibition in the Atlanta International Airport in 2017/2018.
ReDress: Upcycled Style at the Stamford Museum
In September my traveling exhibition, ReDress: Upcycled Style, opened in the Stamford Museum and Nature Center in Stamford, Connecticut. I visited the exhibition to give a presentation and workshop. I also had an unexpectedly empowering experience, but first, a bit about the trip. One of the neat things about the Stamford Museum is that in addition to the museum they have a huge farm with animals. I am excited to have my work there because their mission blends the arts, environmental stewardship and life-long learning.
Stamford Museum and Nature Center
I also found the history of the site to be quite interesting, it was built by a fashion magnate, Henri Bendel. Mr. Bendel made his mark by becoming the first retailer to brand himself. Having registered his own trademark in 1895, he created the now legendary brown and white striped shopping bag and hatbox. Bendel was the first luxury retailer with an upper Fifth Avenue address, and the first to stage a fashion show. This fact was particularly interesting to me since I began creating my sculptures for (recycled) fashion shows, so I feel indebted to his creation of this now ubiquitous event, a fashion show. He was also responsible for bringing Coco Chanel to the United States. He built the large 10,000 square-foot, neo-Tudor mansion as a summer home in 1929 and the Museum moved into the property in 1955. I really enjoyed exploring the house, grounds and beautiful marble sculptures shipped from Italy. I like to think that Henri would have enjoyed my exhibition of couture fashion with a twist!
Check out Justin’s awesome new shoelaces and Amy’s fall scarf!
After a well attended gallery tour and talk, the staff held a beautiful farm-to-table meal that was also a fundraiser for the Museum. Coincidentally, it was my Birthday and I was delighted to have over 50 people sing to me while I blew out the candle on the tallest cupcake I had ever seen! The next day I taught one of my favorite workshops, transforming old T-shirts into new objects. We began by making over 20 dog toys for a local animal shelter, and then the 15 participants created items ranging from shoe strings to scarves and reworked shirts with new style. I was excited that Amy and Justin from the Trashion Fashion Show joined us, they stage “trashion” shows on the East Coast using ballet dancers as models. I also met a wonderful woman who’s family-owned business is interested in sponsoring a new sculpture from me. Thank you to all the Museum staff for hosting me and my traveling exhibition.
Now, back to my unexpected experience: whenever I visit my exhibition at a new museum I always spend a little time with the sculptures making minor repairs, mostly gluing glass back on to the Glass Evening Gown! This time I also worked on the Eco-Flamenco dress which is covered with eco-pledges made by 5,000 people. The Museum invites visitors to take their own eco-pledges and so on a whim, I filled out a pledge card and shared it that night during my gallery talk: “I will ask all of the hotels that I stay in to turn down the temperature in the mini-refrigerators”. This is a pet-peeve of mine because I always find them set on high, and I know that these refrigerators are used a very small percentage of the time they are on. When you think about the millions of hotel rooms around the world with refrigerators, this wastes a tremendous amount of energy which adds carbon to the atmosphere, unnecessarily contributing to climate change. So the day before I checked out of the Holiday Express Inn and Suites in Stamford (notably on the night of the full lunar eclipse and blood moon) I wrote my request on a comment card. By the time I returned home I had honestly forgotten about it until I received a note from the hotel manager saying: “We have shared your comments and feedback with our team and have started implementing (your suggestion) in our guest rooms.”
This was an empowering moment for me, I experienced how truly one small action can make a difference and it confirmed why I encourage people to make these pledges. I have since written to the parent company, InterContinental Hotels Group, to ask them to follow the lead of their hotel in Stamford and make this a policy at all of their properties.
Hotel room refrigerators, unnecessary contributors to climate change
I also did a little sleuthing around on the internet to see if I could find any information on the impact of mini-fridges in hotel rooms, the only thing I found was on www.KeyGreen.com, an organization in Denmark that awards eco-labels to over 2,400 hotels and other sites worldwide. They have their application form posted on-line and I was impressed to see a question asking the applying hotel if they have a policy to TURN OFF refrigerators (and TVs) when rooms are not in use. Not turn down, but turn OFF!
So, the next time you travel you might want to use this site, www.bookdifferent.com, to find a hotel that has a smaller carbon footprint. And if you encounter a refrigerator in your room, turn it to low (or off if you want to be radical) and leave a comment card for the hotel. And if they respond, please let me know!
Schack Art Center in Everett, WA
I was recently honored by being asked to emcee and show work in three trash-fashion shows across the great Pacific Northwest! Last summer I moved from Santa Fe, NM (my home for the last 20 years) to Portland, OR, where I grew up. It is great to be back in the climate that my body feels most comfortable in, and it’s exciting to discover new opportunities for my work in Oregon and Washington. Both states are renowned for their progressive sustainability efforts, and there is a lot of creative re-use, trash fashion, and innovative environmental education taking place here. Quite honestly, I did not know if there was room for another kid in the sand box, but I have been overwhelmed by the warm welcome I have received!
Upcycled Oregon in the State Capital
This spring started off with a bang at the Oregon State Capital in Salem where I emceed at a new event called Upcycle Oregon, created to raise awareness around resource use and waste reduction activities. The two day event began with a dynamic panel discussion featuring a diverse group of people that work with waste materials across Oregon. For example, Scott Hamlin is the co-founder/CEO of Loopworks which makes products and apparel out of industry scrap and waste materials such as old Southwest Airline seat covers. I really like this company because in addition to upcycling materials, they also design their products to be very durable and to be educational– as they state on their website: Only 1% of everything that’s purchased in the USA, is still in the USA after 6 months. That is an alarming statistic! Also on the panel was Mark Rumford with a company named Agilyx that is the first in the world to install commercial scale technology that turns waste plastics into refinery grade synthetic crude oil. That might not sound very exciting, but actually it’s a big deal because they can use the plastics that most recycling programs can’t take, which amounts to more than 75% of the plastics produced and usually landfilled. Their oil is recycled into plastic manufacturing feedstock or converted to transport fuels. I have grave concerns about the environmental and human health impacts of the huge amount of plastic we use and think we should focus on reducing our use of this material, especially single use items. However, like it or not our world is saturated with plastic and it is imperative to have a way to recycle it because not only does recycling keep it out of the landfills, but it also reduces the amount of oil we have to mine/refine.
This interesting panel was followed by an upcycled art exhibition, and then concluded with a trashion show the next day that showcased numerous new and seasoned designers. This was the first recycled fashion show that I have ever emceed in a state capital; it was a grand backdrop for the entire event and it felt significant to have our work honored in such an important historical and political location. I want to thank Carlee Wright from DIY Studio and and Jessica Ramey from Marion County who organized the upcycled art and fashion show, for inviting me to participate. DIY Studio is a neat organization that promotes creative, community and environmental awareness through teaching alternative approaches to creating art and diverting materials from the solid-waste stream.
Ruby Re-Usable with her fantastic models Lana, Lova and Lena Landfill.
Three weeks later I emceed a second trashion show at the Schack (pronounced shack!) Art Center in Everett, WA held in conjunction with an impressive exhibition titled Saving the Environment: Sustainable Art. This was a fun event for me because I met several experienced designers from Washington who have also been working with waste materials for many years. One of these, Ruby Re-Usable, is the colorful designer who organized the fashion show. Some of the other designers were Rebecca Maxim aka Alotta DeTritus, Jane Grafton aka Tinker’s Dam, and Kristie Maxim aka Elle Poubelle. I really enjoyed not only their creative names and impressive designs, but also the presentation and staging of their fashions. Susie Howell, an amazing photographer as well as designer of wearable upcycled fashions, hosted my spouse and me in her beautiful historic Marysville home!
One of the many high points of this experience was meeting artist Terra Holcomb. I recommend you take a moment to look at her work; she is very, very inspiring to me. Terra works exclusively with natural materials and makes ephemeral pieces that she wears for self portraits. In fact, the resulting piece of art is the photo because she leaves the garments to decompose back into nature. One of her few pieces that still exists, a magestic oceanic gown made from muscle shells, was one of the featured designs of the evening.
Washington State Recycling Association Conference
My Trashion Show Grand-Slam ended at the Washington State Recycling Association’s conference in Spokane, WA. Fashion show organizer, Abby Christensen invited me to join emcee Terra Heilman on stage at the elegant Davenport Hotel. I met yet another set of very talented designers and really enjoyed my time with the fun and dedicated group of Washington recyclers. As the previous executive director of the New Mexico Recycling Coalition, I was right at home with them and happy to have found my peeps.
Though I usually don’t participate in many trashion shows anymore, I had a great time at these events. (Most of my work these days revolves around creating new sculptures for my installation in the Atlanta Airport in 2017, and giving presentations and workshops to universities and various audiences.) It was like a door opened and I felt so welcomed this spring to Oregon and Washington by my colleagues in the upcycled art/fashion and waste reduction community, I’m so excited to become a part of these dynamic and warm-hearted groups!
I’m in the process of dreaming up some exciting new projects for my upcoming Atlanta exhibition with a number of local west coast groups including some the folks that I met at these events, so stay tuned for more details.
POST SCRIPT: I am writing this blog post while sitting on a train traveling back to Portland from Spokane, enjoying an absolutely beautiful ride along the Columbia River. As the train travels from the high desert climate of eastern Washington where Spokane is located, my heart swells at the site of the emerald green forests of the west side of this region. I longed for this land during the almost 30 years I lived outside of the Northwest, and find that, even now, after a short time away in a dryer area, I yearn for the moist climate my body was born to.
![IMG_5750[1]](https://recyclerunway.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_57501-300x225.jpg)
Dawn over the Columbia River, from the train to Portland
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Emerald green views of the Pacific Northwest
I have had the honor of being invited to several artists residencies, lectures on my work and upcycled workshops so far this year. Here is an account of my recent activities!
(Additional photos of my adventures can be seen in the links below to my facebook page. While looking at the photos PLEASE DO ME THE FAVOR of “liking” my facebook PAGE (not just the photos), I am almost up to 1,000 likes– Thanks a bunch!)
University of Wisconsin in Madison – February 18 to 20, 2014
Nancy giving a lecture to University of Wisconsin students
This visit was planned in conjunction with the next showing of my traveling exhibition ReDress: Upcycled Style at the Woodson Art Museum in Wausau Wisconsin, April 12-June 15. During my exhibition the museum will hold an upcycled fashion show featuring work created by UW-Madison Textile and Apparel Design students. In preparation for the fashion show in May, I spent 3 days on campus with the students. I gave several lectures sharing photos of my work; stories of my progression as an artist and environmental advocate; advice on being an entrepreneurial artist; and techniques, tools and safety tips for working with waste materials. I also spent two days in the studio with the students learning about their design ideas for their upcycled fashions and giving suggestions where I could.
Jennifer Angus, the Textile and Apparel Design Program Coordinator and Professor hosted my visit. Her work will also be featured at the Woodson Art Museum at the same time that ReDress will be there. It was a joy getting to know Jennifer and learn about her fascinating work creating elaborate patterns of meticulously pinned insects inspired by Victorian collections and textiles highlighting environmental issues – habitat loss and the importance of the insect world in an ecosystem’s health. Take a look at her intriguing work!
The UW- Madison is a very inspiring and progressive community; it was an honor to work with and get to know the faculty and students! See more photos of my time at the University. And thank you to my friend Heather Swan for hosting me in her lovely home!
Hatch Creative-reuse Art Festival in Champaign, Illinois – February 28 to March 1, 2014
Nancy gives an assembly to Garden Hill Elementary students
I was invited to be the artist in residence for the second annual Hatch Art Festival that features a juried art show, trash fashion contest and art fair. My residency started off with a wonderful day at the Garden Hills Elementary School giving two assemblies to 5th and 6th graders. Teacher Magen Barber and I co-created a day-long project that consisted of working with 6 classes to create up-cycled “flags” with eco-pledges made by the students. See more photos of my day with the students.
That evening was the juried upcycled art show opening reception that featured two of my sculptures, the Aluminum Drop Dress and the Faux Fur Coat, along with many wonderful pieces from local artists. The local paper ran a story about my work and the festival that you can read here. As a side note, the reporter for this article, Melissa Merli, had interviewed me in Washington DC at President Obama’s first inauguration when I was showcasing the Change Couture Collection at the Green Inaugural Ball. What a coincidence! It was fun to share memories of that very special time that culminated in my piece, the Obamanos Coat, being accepted into the Smithsonian Museum’s permanent collection!
T-shirt Transformation workshop participants
The next day I gave two workshops. In the morning we had a fun time transforming old worn T-shirts into scarves, dog toys, hats, etc! In the afternoon I worked with another group to create a backdrop for the trash fashion show from used coffee sleeves. That evening I gave a lecture about my work in the local library, followed by a delicious dinner with the very special people that organize and support this event.
The Hatch Art Festival and my residency were produced by The I.D.E.A. Store, a creative-reuse marketplace. If I were queen for the day I would decree that every city, town and village should have such a store. They accept items from homes and businesses that might otherwise be thrown away but can be reused by artists, seamstresses, tinkers and all other creative types. The energy in the store is all abuzz as people get excited and inspired by the multitude of well organized treasures rescued from the landfill. See photos of the store here.
It was a very full two days that left me energized from meeting so many wonderful, creative and fun people. And I must thank Shauna and Cliff Carey for hosting me the entire time in their beautiful home! View more photos from my Hatch Residency here.
Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond VA – March 4, 2014
Nancy speaking at Eastern Kentucky University
I was invited to be a speaker in the Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) Chautauqua Lecture series. Chautauqua was an adult education movement in the United States, that first took place in New York in 1874. Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying that Chautauqua is “the most American thing in America”. The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers, preachers and specialists of the day. The Eastern Kentucky University Chautauqua Lectures are 10 years old and each year has a theme, this year it is: Beauty Matters. My lecture was called “Recycle Runway: Environmental Education through Beauty”. I discussed how the beauty and glamor of my upcycled fashion sculptures capture people’s attention, allowing me the opportunity to raise awareness about today’s pressing environmental challenges and hopefully inspire action. Read a lovely article about my talk here.
My hosts: Dr. Mihn Nguyen and Dr. Alice Jones
In conjunction with the lecture I also gave an up-cycled derby hat workshop with art students, professors and community members. I was amazed at the range of styles that participants made! On my way out of town my host Alice Jones showed me some of the beautiful horses that run in the Derby races. It was fun to see the expansive horse farms as my plane took off. I wish I could see some of the upcycled hats being worn at the derby events!! Hopefully some of the participants will send me photos, meanwhile here are some photos from the workshop!
Woodson Art Museum Exhibition and Artists Residency Wausau, Wisconsin – May 1 to 4, 2014
My next residency will take place in conjunction with my exhibition at the Woodson Art Museum. I will be giving several workshops and lectures as well as helping to organize and emcee the upcycled fashion show showcasing the UW Madison student work described above. Below is a flyer outlining all my activities during my upcoming residency, I’m very excited!
Thanks to everyone who made all these trips possible, I feel so fortunate to be doing this work and having the honor of meeting so many fantastic people!
WFMZ-TV NEWS
September 25, 2013 news story about the ReDress Upcycled Style Exhibition in the Reading Public Museum.
Nancy Judd’s Recycle Runway Exhibition in the Atlanta Airport, 2012
In 2011-2012 I had an exhibition of 21 of my sculptures in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for 14 months. The ATL Airport has invited me back for a second show in 2016 because the first one was “one of our most popular exhibits”! The exhibition will open in the fall of 2019.
I’m so very honored that David Vogt and Katherine Dirga, the team behind the Atlanta Airport’s impressive Airport Art Program, have asked me to return– it is a great validation of the work that I have been doing for the last 15 years! I’m also excited because they want me to create a new body of work for the exhibit made with the airport community including airlines, concessionaires and contractors. Many of the sculptures will be made in interactive educational workshops with airport employees, passengers and other ATL community partners including school children. The educational opportunities and reach of this project are really thrilling to me!
In the coming months we will be reaching out to other organizations for collaborations and sponsorship. Please let me know if you are interested in being a part of this exciting exhibition… and stay tuned for updates as the project unfolds over the next three years.
Nancy@RecycleRunway.com
505-577-9712
Upcycled superhero is here to teach you about sink aerators
June, 4, 2013
By Enrique Limón
Read the article and see photos on line.
It’s a bird…it’s a LEED-certified plane…it’s Sol Man, Santa Fe’s own conservationist superhero!
“This is the Man in progress,” artist and environmental educator Nancy Judd says, leading the way to her studio where the work-in-progress lies, striking a classic flying-through-midair pose.
“This is the first time I’ve done anything specifically in energy conservation,” Judd, the head of Recycle Runway and co-founder of Recycle Santa Fe Art Market, says. “I make couture fashion sculptures from trash, and I use them to raise awareness about environmental issues.”
The city’s former recycling coordinator achieves this by setting up installations in high foot-traffic locations like shopping malls, airports and museums.
Sol Man is no exception, being that he’ll be unveiled this Wednesday at 4 pm at the Santa Fe Place Mall.
Utensils galore line Judd’s worktable, including pliers, heavy-duty gloves (“his cape still has sharp edges,” she warns), and a chart of the “ideal-proportion male.”
“For me, as an artist, this has been a really challenging process,” Judd says, working on Sol’s head. His torso is a discarded dress form rescued from a dumpster; his legs and arms were once conduit, covered with pipe insulation; and his bulging “muscles” are made from downcycled home insulation.
Other elements in the figure include rubber gasket scraps, yard signs from past political campaigns and ventilation ducts.
“My stuff is usually very feminine,” Judd confesses, “so making this guy—who is everything but—has been a challenge.”
Like every fabled crusader before him, Sol Man has a chimerical backstory.
It starts in an Ortiz Middle School science classroom. “The kids learned about where energy comes from, different energy sources, problems with different energy sources and about energy conservation,” the artist says.
During the students’ three-week immersion, Judd says they were assigned energy-conservation projects at home.
“PNM, our local electric company, provided them one of these energy-efficiency kits,” she says, opening up a small box containing compact fluorescent light bulbs, a low-flow shower head, a fridge thermometer and other green household implements—several of which now rest on the Man’s belt.
During that time, Judd also went into the sixth-graders’ art class—where, collectively, Sol Man’s look was born.
“I worked with them and said, ‘We’re gonna create an energy-efficient superhero. What would he look like?’”
The result was a slew of drawn submissions, with names like “Shiny Woman,” “Super Energy Conserver” and “Corserva-Woman”—who boasts a “built-in nightlight.”
“I took some of their ideas and created this guy,” Judd says.
Approaching the same students, this time at their Consumer Science class, Sol Man’s different elements—like the 300 mini faux solar panels that adorn his cape—came to be.
After his stint at the mall, Sol Man will tour statewide to continue his mission of raising energy awareness.
“In the long run, I want people to conserve energy,” Judd says of her efforts, realized in part through a fellowship awarded by Toyota and the National Audubon Society. “I want to raise awareness about our environmental impact as individuals—and energy is one of those places where we have a huge impact.”
She’s aware the message is trite, but insists, “energy is a huge, huge problem because it’s one of our main sources of CO2, which is one of the leading causes of climate change.”
Judd hopes her initiative sets a [low-emission] spark across the local art community and motivates others in her position to marry their creativity with bigger causes.
“One of the connections that I make about the work that I do is that, in the coming years, as we face climate change, we’re gonna have to use incredible creativity,” she says.
“Whether that’s the creativity of an artist to educate, or the creativity of an engineer to help solve problems, an inventor or even a politician on how to get laws passed—all of that is really about creative problem solving,” Judd continues. “And the bigger the problem, the more creativity we’re gonna need.”
Ortiz students test bulbs, make ‘trash fashion’ to learn about conserving
April 3, 2013
By Robert Nott
Read the article and see photos on line.
In an effort to draw attention to energy conservation efforts, Ortiz Middle School students engaged in a battle of the light bulbs in science class Wednesday, while building an “Energizer” superhero costume.
Their efforts were part of a collaboration between Santa Fe Public Schools, Recycle Runway artist Nancy Judd, Public Service Company of New Mexico and the Santa Fe Community College. The program, funded by a Toyota Together Green Grant and the National Audubon Society, was manpowered by about 125 sixth-graders at Ortiz.
The project is evenly divided between an experiment into how energy is created and conserved in Erika Sommer’s science class and an art-and-design “trash fashion” project in teacher Myoko Costello’s home-economics class.
Judd, an environmental activist and artist who runs Recycle Runway (creating “couture attire” from recycled items), said the project’s goal is to instill a sense of energy conservatism in the kids, with the hope that they will take what they learned home and incorporate their lessons into their home life. Lisa Randall, the school district’s energy conservation coordinator, said it provides “a home-school connection to energy conservation” that one doesn’t usually find in lesson plans.
Sommer’s class was engaged in an experiment to compare whether a 40-watt incandescent light bulb or a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) generates more light — and which one uses the most energy.
The students had to measure the amps, the lumens (a measure of the amount of light a bulb produces) and the watts of each bulb via a not-too-complicated setup involving a bulb board, a light meter and an interactive computer screen.
At one table in the class, several students, including Daryl Herrera, compared the effects of the two bulbs and came to the conclusion that the CFL bulb used less than half the energy of an incandescent bulb. (Most studies indicate that CFL bulbs use 75 percent less energy and last 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb.) Herrera said he found the experiment useful, “So we know which bulbs we should use at home.”
Following the class, the kids were asked how many believed the project would make them want to conserve energy at home. Almost all raised their hands. Asked how many would suggest to their parents that the latter use CFL bulbs, almost all raised their hands again. And when asked how many of them have parents who actually listen to them — well, only about a third raised their hands.
Down the hallway, Judd organized the art students into teams to build the parts needed for the Energizer costume, which is due to be completed by the end of April. Afterward, the costume — currently sans a superhero to wear it — will tour the schools and perhaps other sites within the city.
To ensure it really is an energy-efficient costume, Judd utilized everything from HVAC duct vents (for the arms), a high-efficiency heater flue, PCP pipe, window insulation and discarded 2008 Obama campaign signs. Why Obama? “That’s mostly what can be found in Santa Fe,” Judd replied.
One of the art students, Rudi Martinez, busied herself making small solar panels to line the Energizer costume’s 60-inch by 45-inch cape. “We need to learn how to save energy rather than waste energy,” she said as she worked.
Ryan Baca, who was on hand to represent PNM, which provided all the kids with home energy kits (including CFL bulbs), seconded that thought. She said kids today have a greater awareness about environmental needs and conservation efforts and that this joint project gives them “a good, solid foundation in what energy conservation means to their community, their school and their home.”
Next week, Santa Fe school buildings will be placed in a “sleep mode” for spring break. Lights and computers will be shut off and heating kept to a minimum.
