These days, Philly’s problems surrounding vacant land, urban decay and property neglect aren’t just getting the attention of city officials. Local artists, too, see the issue as paramount in Philadelphia’s existing urban context. Nowhere is this viewpoint better exemplified than ‘RUST 3’, a recent and particularly innovative sustainable art installation coming soon to the
Mt. Airy Arts Garage starting Nov. 10.
Put together by local artists Andy Walker and Andy Heisey, the piece calls attention to the problems of urban renewal and abandonment in Philly. But the display goes beyond these topics, also raising awareness on big picture issues including sustainability, reuse/rebuilding of our cities, the need for investment in urban areas and how new construction materials impact the environment.
The installation’s primary work of art is the “Renewed Urban Studio Tent” which is where the idea of ‘RUST’ all started. Made out of recycled materials found in the city - anything from photographs on clay shells, cigarette butts, glass bottles and recycled cement - the structure was built for the original RUST in August of this year.
According to Andy Walker, they built the tent on South Broad Street in Center City as a studio for local artists and community members to create recycled/reused collages out of materials found from around the City. Walker says these collages were then placed on the tent to form the skin of the structure. "It was a real group effort and that's exactly what we wanted," says Walker. "The idea was to see how art rehabilitates the urban realm. With artists and community members creating architectural pieces out of recycled materials, we wanted to challenge the notion of what urban building can be."
RUST 2 came about the following month and showcased the collage pieces created during RUST. And now, RUST 3 is set to open and will be the last hurrah of the series. The basic elements of the original RUST will be on display, signifying the final recycling of the project while continuing to show how artists and the community can work together to create beauty out of reuse.
According to MAAG President and Cofounder Linda Slodki, while this is the final installment of RUST, MAAG wants the message to live on. To this end, a citywide panel, “
Artists Taking Back Philadelphia—Brick by Brick” will be on Sunday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. at MAAG. This panel will feature the Andys, Gary Steuer—Chief Cultural Officer for the City of Philadelphia, and Shari Hersh/Dre Urhahn—
Philly Painting (a project of the MuralArts Program).
Topics covered include urban renewal and how artists fit into the conversation. According to Slodki, MAAG hopes this discussion will help “bring out more artists interested in the topics at hand while assisting in making changes that need to be made in the future.”
On that same Sunday, Nov. 11 at 10 a.m., Slodki says the Andys will host a workshop discussing the techniques they used to make their tent and showcase the various ways one can use recycled materials in artwork.
These events and a number of others are all happening at the Mt Airy Art Garage at 11 West Mt Airy Avenue and will run through Dec. 7 when RUST 3 closes up for good.
Source: Linda Slodki, President and Cofounder of MAAG; Andy Walker, RUST
Writer:
Greg Meckstroth