Written by Samantha Nordstrom
The Student Sustainability Center, Art Club, and Center for Environmental Justice hosted a climate grief workshop focusing on transforming anxiety into art from 5-7 p.m. at the Nancy Richards Design Center on April 17. Attendees got the chance to create art from repurposed waste.
The event started with a 20-minute presentation; SSC Operations Manager Matt Greves spoke about identifying climate anxiety and event organizer and Art Club Event Coordinator Sidney Stadelmann presented on identifying personal strengths, joys and goals to increase climate action and hope. Stadelmann discussed the power of repurposing trash into art and how that can translate into climate hope.
Then, students split into groups, with some crafting with cans and bottle caps and others painting on cardboard and old newspapers. Stadelmann instructed people on how to start wind chimes, can-tab earrings, bottle-cap people, can-tab bugs, and flowers.
Stadelmann came up with the idea of repurposing trash into art after becoming involved in both the Art Club and the SSC. She said it seemed like a cool way to use creativity to solve a problem with waste mitigation. When she brought the idea to Greves and SSC Director Reaghan Fields, they were very supportive. Then Stadelmann found ideas for art on Pinterest and determined ways that trash could be repurposed using a “trial and error” system.
“Art is definitely a big way that I deal with anxiety,” Stadelmann said. “So once I got involved in the Climate Grief to Active Hope [project], I started thinking about climate anxiety and how that manifests for people. I had these connections drawn in my mind, and taking that fact that art helps anxiety, and applying a more eco-mentality, is how this got started.”
Stadelmann said that art and the environment have been important to her life for a long time, but they’ve been separate until recently. Now, Stadelmann intends to continue spreading awareness for transforming climate anxiety into art and plan events to a larger scale.
If you’re interested in getting involved, email Sidney at sidney.stadelmann@colostate.edu. Additionally, follow the Student Sustainability Center on Instagram and subscribe to the Green Bulletin email list to stay updated on the latest events.
To reach The Green Bulletin, contact the SSC Content Officer at samanthanordstrom1@gmail.com
