Last Friday I gave a speech and challenge at Evolution: A Human Mash Up. Here is my speech:

My name is Rebecca Shapiro. I am an artist and entrepreneur. I am also founder of gallery verno, an online sustainable fine art gallery.

gallery verno is a collective of artists, “vernoists”, who are exploring what sustainable fine art means. When you visit gallery verno you see that each artist has a sustainability statement. It’s very interesting because there is room for each of us to have our ideas and ideals around what it means to be sustainable. This is biodiversity in action!

We know that art is the perfect venue for creating a deeper conversation around sustainability because art stimulates awareness and prompts the viewer to think, explore their inner world, make a change - even if for a brief moment. Our goal is to inspire people to take action towards building a sustainable world through sustainable art.

So, just what is sustainable fine art? In a nutshell, sustainable means to be made from renewable resources without depleting future resources, something that can continue indefinitely. If you look back through time, art certainly does that. Look at the paintings of Lascaux, DaVinci or Picasso. These works can be defined as sustainable because so far, they have continued indefinitely and we want to do everything to conserve them.
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image courtesy of derbigum.com

Now that global warming, environmental threats and cultural degradation are in our face, artists are working to define just what is sustainable fine art. In a nutshell, sustainable means to be made from renewable resources without depleting future resources, something that can continue indefinitely. One could reason that sustainable fine art is created from renewable materials that lasts indefinitely and doesn’t impact future resources.

If you look back through time, art can be sustainable. Look at the paintings of Lascaux, DaVinci or Picasso. These works of art can be defined as sustainable because they captured our hearts and called on us to conserve them indefinitely.

But now, things have changed. Sustainable fine art can’t just mean that you’ve simply created an image worthy of preservation. It means that artists must consider their materials, studio practices and personal philosophy. It means that the art collector use their dollars to support their values and create a new breed known as the eco-art collector.

Ultimately, our goal at gallery verno, is to offer artwork created by artists who:

• use sustainable practices, non-polluting and safer, new methods in their studios

• use renewable energy sources in their studios

• travel in an environmentally responsible manner

• use natural, organic, recycled or digital materials in their mediums

• explore social and environmental issues through themes and imagery

• practice a green lifestyle

• speak with others about values and issues surrounding the environment and culture

• align themselves with organizations that are concerned with similar values

We’re all striving to improve our physical and social environments. We do the best we can to adopt new practices and methods in our studios. We’re passionate about our imagery. Yet, many of our materials are woefully unsustainable, yielding beautiful results. In the meantime, we responsibly use what we have instead of dumping it and explore how to replace those materials with sustainable ones. Since artists are innovators and creators, we enjoy being part of the dialogue that defines just what is sustainable fine art.