Every year, billions of pounds of trash are dumped into our world’s oceans. Luckily, there are people working tirelessly all around the world to fix this. One of these people is local artist Tanya Evans-Johnson, whose unique medium intersects beautifully with the important message her art sends. The medium in question is none other than trash, with a focus on cardboard. Instead of letting her disposable materials make their way to the garbage and recycling plants, Evans-Johnson transforms them into realistic three-dimensional collages. Since starting her studio, DRIFT (Designing Reclaimed Items from Trash) Evans-Johnson has displayed her solo exhibit called Cardboard Comes to Life all around Westchester. Her newest exhibit at the White Plains Public Library opened on July 1st and runs until August 29th. A reception will be held on July 12th from 2 to 4 PM for those who want to hear more about the art from the artist herself. For those who have visited Evans-Johnson’s exhibits in the past, there’s always more to see, with thirteen to fifteen new pieces added to her collection as older works where bought and sold.
Evans-Johnson took a new step forward with this exhibit, putting a more intense focus on the impacts of litter and pollution with the subjects of her work, and not just her medium. While she has depicted animals in her art in the past, the new works at this exhibit put the viewer face to face with the harsh reality of today’s polluted world. Works including a sea turtle made from a printer box, floating around in a sea of garbage. Evans-Johnson cites stories of sea turtles eating plastic bags, mistaking them for jellyfish, and birds getting their heads caught in soda packaging as the disturbing inspiration for this important new focus. Evans-Johnson’s environmentalist work is far from surface level. Her commitment to creating a greener world extends beyond her art. One of her goals with her DRIFT studio is to educate her local communities on how to recycle properly. “I did my research” she said, “I went down to Greenburgh Town Hall” Concerned by the limited knowledge the general public posses about appropriate recycling habits, she keeps pamphlets at each of her exhibits teaching them what belongings in each bin, and in encouraging visitors to create their own trash collages.
As the scope and meaning of her pieces grew, so did their size. A piece she is currently working on for her Black History Month exhibit, which will be at the Greenburgh Public Library in February, is over 9 feet! Black history, especially in relation to art and music, is also a key theme throughout her work and is prominently featured in her Cardboard Comes to Life exhibits. New works will again feature famous black musicians, such as Louis Armstrong, all made from cardboard and other discarded items, saving them from a lifetime in the landfill.
Evans-Johnson makes a careful distinction between trash and garbage when it comes to her work. Trash, she sees as something she can reuse, something she can create art with. Garbage, on the other hand, is anything rotten or stained, which she cannot transform. As the knowledge of her works grows, Evans-Johnson has begun receiving donations of trash, from friends and family, to grocery store cashiers, which she is more than happy to take. After all, there is always more art to make. For those looking to take home an Evans-Johnson original, some of the art displayed in this exhibit is available to be sold, and she is taking commissions.
Local artists are a key factor in what makes our communities grow and thrive, and the important messaging and unique medium of Tanya Evans-Johnson’s art is part of what makes Westchester a special place to live. Everyone would benefit from a visit to her exhibit.
