Faded Bits and Pieces by Ezinne Onyemah, Second place
Our Story
eARTh began in 2021 as a small art contest in Middlesex county. We called it "Art For The Earth" to show that we were encouraging students to make art to address problems like climate change and increasing waste.
Eventually, we realized that in addition to there being 5 or 6 other "Art For The Earths," we didn't need such a generic name. The word Earth conveniently contains art inside itself.​ This led us to rename our competition to eARTh. We believe that although the art in Earth is just a spelling coincidence, it is a testament to how art can be a powerful tool to save the Earth from climate change and increasing waste.
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A Note From The Founders:
Franklin Gu and Jennifer Liu
Hello there! We are Newton South High School alumni. When we started this competition three years ago, we thought no one would participate, let alone sponsor our project and make it possible. It was a real shock when artwork began swarming into our submissions form, each piece rendering an artist's unique perspective on our theme and their ideas.
We'd like to thank this wonderful community for making this opportunity possible, from our sponsors and judges to the students taking time from their busy schedules to reflect and create their art. But most importantly, thank our fantastic juniors who have gone to great lengths to keep this project alive after we graduate.
Faded Bits and Pieces by Ezinne Onyemah, middle school second place
The Problem
Climate change and increasing waste are significant problems that seem impossible to solve. However, if we continue to be uneducated about the importance of recycling and ignore the warming climate, nothing will get better. Waste is particularly bad in the US; according to the National Resources Defense Council in 2019, the United States is the most wasteful country in the world, accounting for only 4 percent of the world's population yet generating 12 percent of the planet's garbage. That's a total of 239 million tons of solid waste produced every year.
Solution
eARTh Art Contest raises awareness and encourages children to become activists by letting them express their views about climate change through art, while at the same time inspiring students to use more recycled materials in their art that would otherwise be thrown away. This allows younger students to become more conservative of their materials and practice upcycling their resources.
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While eARTh Art Contest is only a link in a long chain needed to solve climate change, it is an important step because it shows students that the things they throw away can be used to create something more beautiful than the original product.
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Check out our learn page to learn about the plastic problem. Think of creative ways to recycle these materials through art!
Created by Anna Zeren. Knitted together with plastic yarn made from plastic bags. High school.
Our Team:
Lead Organizer: Katie Hu
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Created by Anna Zeren. Knitted together with plastic yarn made from plastic bags. High school.