ARTIST STATEMENT
My work investigates environmental concerns, the amount of waste we generate, and the disregard many of us seem to have for our fragile planet. My fish artwork explores the relationship between garbage, the oceans, and global climate change, as well as our disposable society and the degradation of the environment.
My love for scuba diving reinforces my deep concern about the environment and how much trash we generate. I started diving in 2013. I fell in love with the ocean and its creatures. At the same time, I learned about how coral reefs are dying due to pollution, rising water temperatures, and reduced oxygen in the ocean. I chose to create representational fish art out of found objects and trash. These pieces reveal the wonder and, sometimes, the terror of sea life. I intend for my audience to see the beauty and joy from this work and get a greater appreciation of and respect for our climate and the need to reduce the amount of trash we generate.
What are we doing each day to contribute to the problem of plas-c pollu-on? How is our use of plastic contributing to climate change? How is the rising temperature of the oceans affecting coral and fish habitats? The fish I create are a reminder of the environmental problems and the human destruction of oceans and life within; without oceans, we cannot survive.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Sarah Schneiderman, MFA, is an assemblage artist working in Glastonbury, CT. Recent solo exhibitions include Windsor, Portland, and Avon Libraries, Kellogg Environmental Center, Clinton Avenue Elementary School, ARTWALK at Hartford Public Library, Underground Gallery in Collinsville, and Art Corridor at Yale-New Haven Hospital, Saint Raphael Campus. In the past few years, Sarah participated in numerous group exhibitions: Ely Center of Contemporary Art, Stola Contemporary Art in Chicago, IL, Georgia State University Perimeter Campus, Tufts University, Gallery 378 in Atlanta, GA, Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, Ice Box Project Space in Philadelphia, North Dakota Museum of Art, The Urban Collective in New Haven and the Mattatuck Museum.
Sarah has given artist talks for the Women’s Caucus for Art – Washington, D.C. Chapter, Ely Center of Contemporary Art, Kellogg Environmental Center, Cheshire Art League, and Hamden Art League. She led workshops for the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts, Beauty Beyond Borders, Hartford Public Library, and Camp Stomping Ground.
Sarah is a member of Arts Center East (Signature Member (Invitational)), Arts Council of Greater New Haven, and Women’s Caucus for Arts, Greater Washington, D.C. Chapter. She received formal training at the Corcoran School of Art, Washington, D.C., and California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California.
© Sarah Schneiderman