USC kicked off its second annual Green Week with Regenerate, an art, culture and sustainability workshop and panel available to all students and faculty held at Fisher Museum of Art on Monday, Oct. 3.
The event, led by USC’s Arts in Action and the Arts and Climate Collective, contributed to the university-wide initiative to limit the USC’s environmental impact and raise awareness for environmental activism. Regenerate aimed to inspire sustainability and mindfulness in the production of artistic activism. Upbeat rock and roll music set the tone for participants as they mingled and painted cardboard signs reflecting their political frustrations.
“I like the experience, the music, the ambiance,” said Hilal Balik, a sophomore double majoring in international relations and global economy. “I like that they’re passionate. It’s all inclusive, there’s no one cause that you have to support.”
Interdisciplinary artist and USC faculty Eric Junker facilitated the sustainable art workshop.
“All the materials are recycled cardboards,” said Lucy Zepeda, the lead producer of USC’s Arts in Action. “They’re boxes that we picked out of the recycle bins, cut them up, shape them up into nice squares. That’s one of the ways we can work towards finding a middle ground for artwork that is sustainable and carries a message.”
After the interactive workshop, students were invited to a panel where artists from Arts in Action discussed their work and creative processes in the world of artistic activism.
“It’s great to see the end result of beautiful artwork, but it’s also important that we all see the behind the scenes of the artists,” said Diana Salias Vargas, a senior majoring in public policy. “How they handle this entire process from thinking of ideas, putting these ideas into action, and all the stresses that come with it.”
According to their website, Arts in Action “plants seeds for positive social change by activating intensive arts projects between community partners, students, and faculty.” The organization emphasizes the vital crossover between art and activism.
“I think it’s important to cross the two because art speaks to the heart,” Balik said. “But then, when you bring in activism, you need something to get people riled up. So when you combine the art with something that fights for the heart, fights for people, then I think you’ve got a really beautiful crossover.”
Green Week, which lasts from Oct. 3 to Oct. 7, is one of many continuing Assignment: Earth initiatives announced by President Carol L. Folt to achieve campus climate neutrality by 2025. Since Assignment: Earth’s launch last spring, USC has already made strides in achieving neutrality by eliminating single-use plastic bottles at all USC-run events, dining halls and restaurants, which is estimated to have averted the purchase of at least 570,000 plastic bottles.
Regenerate is the first of Green Week events, which will include Jubilee Cafe’s free vegan food event on Oct. 4, California Clean Air Day on Oct. 5 and a garden event hosted by USC Garden Club from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Parkside Garden on Oct. 7.