By Smily Sharpe
June 10, 2019
Source: The Art newspaper
Photo / Image Source: Abstract Watercolor #14 - Shidonna Raven Fine Art & Giclees.
Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
Those within the art world who advocate for environmentally friendly practices are finding a sector willing to do its part.
When asked about the carbon footprint of the Art Basel fair, its global director Marc Spiegler does not mince his words. “Let’s put our cards on the table: it would be impossible to stage an art fair or biennial without having some kind of impact on the environment. By definition they are not the most environmentally friendly events because they require travel from people and works of art.” He asks: “How can you be carbon-neutral in an environment that is urgent and ephemeral in nature?”
Despite this conundrum, Art Basel has a working group that analyses the environmental impact of its stable of fairs and looks for ways to counterbalance it. Working towards this goal, the fair does more digitally to reduce its paper consumption; recycles and donates materials used in its Messeplatz project in Basel; has banned food vendors from using single-use plastics; and from 2020, the Basel fair will swap HQI lighting for energy-saving LEDs.
While Spiegler admits he does not necessarily encourage galleries to reduce their carbon footprints because “we want to avoid telling our clients how to do business”, he says they are experimenting with how to do this in their own way. Catherine Bottrill, the head of the creative green programme at the UK charity Julie’s Bicycle, says getting senior leadership onboard is the key to business involvement: “Commercial [endeavours] are always driven by cost imperatives, even the ones that are not cash poor. But if senior management gets [the importance of sustainability], they feel that as a business it’s a no-brainer.”
For long-time Art Basel exhibitors Pace Gallery and David Zwirner, being eco-friendly is engrained in their corporate cultures. According to a spokeswoman at Zwirner, the dealership became the first commercial gallery to receive LEED Gold Certification when it opened its Annabelle Selldorf-designed space in New York in 2013. Pace’s new flagship New York gallery, which is due to open in September, is expected to meet LEED Silver Certification.
A spokesman for Pace says the gallery has also made its day-to-day activities more environmentally friendly by “supporting [its] shipping partners’ crate recycling efforts, investing in branded, reusable water bottles” for staff, and banning plastics. “We collectively recognise that each small action adds up and raises the level of consciousness for our entire community.” For Art Basel, Pace has encouraged its London and Geneva teams to use ground transportation to get to Basel and all its staff to use public transportation while there. Additionally, it is showing works in its inventory on iPads instead of handing out printed materials, and was careful to ship only works needed for the stand while recycling packing materials for reuse at the end of the week.
Crates and packing materials represent the most tangible form of transport-related waste. ROKBOX is exploring the uses of multiuse plastics, including biodegradable bubble wrap, and the art transport, handling and storage company, Momart, has created a recycling scheme where 90% of packing materials, mostly wood crates and foam, go to local schemes to be turned into beehives or padding for children’s playgrounds.
Charlie Forgham-Bailey Momart’s director Alan Sloan says: “The environment is very high on our agenda, not least because, from a practical perspective, it saves us money to be efficient, but there is also responsibility of principle to be as environmentally friendly as we possibly can.” As well as ensuring that its buildings are energy-efficient, Momart regularly upgrades it older trucks for newer, more fuel-efficient ones with lower emissions. And it is now looking into investing in smaller, electric vehicles for local jobs around London.
There is still much more that the art world can do to clean up its act, but those advocating for the environment within the sector are finding they are less often pushing on a closed door. “It’s a hopeful time. People feel obliged to change their ways,” Stramentov says. “The art world isn’t as carnivorous as people think it is.”
Which space are you collecting for business or home? Is it investment? How will you save on taxes? Just click below to donate and learn more about the benefits of being a Benefactor. Thank you. Which Shidonna Raven Fine Art or Giclee will you choose?
Submit your own video of your Shidonna Raven Fine Art & Giclee and you and it could be featured in Ask the Artist? E Magazine or Collector's Circle. Join Our Online Art Aficionado Community and join our efforts to Go GREEN (Climate Change).
Share your comments with the community by posting them below. Share the wealth of information with your friends and family by sharing this article with 3 people today. As always you are the best part of what we do. Keep sharing!
Comments