Greener Pastures: The Environmental Art Museum

I know what the environment is, and I know what art is, but it was hard for me to picture what those two words together mean.  Does an environmental artist have to work solely in recycled materials?  Do they create their art in nature?  Are there carbon offsets involved?  It turns out the the term "environmental art" covers a wide range of projects, and the Environmental Art Museum showcases an interesting selection of examples.

According to the museum's page of definitions, environmental art "is art that helps us improve our relationship with the natural world".  That seems like it could cover a lot of the art that's been made throughout human history, doesn't it?  The definition continues, explaining that environmental art is often "ephemeral", site-specific, and involves partnerships with non-artists.  That narrows it down a little bit, but it's still a pretty broad definition - which explains why the art featured here is so diverse.

There is, for example, a disc which claims that the column of air extending above as independent from any nation.  There's also a lace canopy that serves as an irrigation system for the grass seeds planted within it, and a landfill that was made into colorful crop circles.  For each of these works you can read about the artist and their explanation for each piece, and there are many links to the artist's website and to external information.  You can also view images of the art at different sizes, which really helps in getting a sense of location and context for these pieces.

If you're interested in more information about environmental art in general, there are in-depth guides for how you can this art to a classroom, a park and your community.  There's also a well-written section on the working methods of environmental art, so that you could (in theory, at least) create your own piece.  If you're searching for a more academic take on environmental art, there are several essays written by the museum's volunteers, though I found them a little too long and dry for popular consumption.

The only thing I wish I could change about this museum is the way the artists and art are presented.  There are a few featured artists strewn around the homepage, but otherwise you have a navigate through a sidebar listing all the artists alphabetically.  Maybe it's because I think in categories, but I wish these artists has been grouped in some sort of logical way - perhaps by medium or working location.  Scrolling through a list and hoping to come across something you find interesting is not the best way explore a new form of art.

In some sense, I wonder whether this website is contradictory to the terms of environmental art.  After all, if environmental art is about location-specific work subject to the ravages of nature, why is it being preserved on the internet?  Although viewing images on a screen does take something away from each piece, it is interesting to see and learn about art you may never get to experience in person.  I would recommend poking around at the Environmental Art Museum, but keep in mind as you browse that you're only seeing a part of the whole.


Environmental Art Museum
Mission:  Our goal is to inform, inspire and connect people through environmental art and encourage the creation of new work that serves communities and ecosystems.
Website:  www.greenmuseum.org

China on My Mind: The China Online Museum

I know that I sometimes criticize virtual museums that don't have enough pop to them.  It's fun and engaging when you can do cool things in an online museum and feel at least somewhat like you're traveling through an exhibit.  But once in a while, it's nice just to be able to look at things and learn about their history.  That's the strength of the China Online Museum - although it's mainly a collection of images with information, the way it's organized and laid out makes it a valuable resource.

The China Online Museum lets you explore five different types of Chinese art:  bronzes, calligraphy, painting, ceramics and carving.  The history presented for these art forms goes back over 2,000 years, and in many cases Chinese characters are included alongside English spellings.  For each genre of art, you can learn about different artists, subjects, time periods or mediums.  Pages are set up with information at the top and images below - and in some cases, you can choose the amount of information you want to view (which is great for people who are easily overwhelmed).

The images themselves are very high-quality, and so even though there aren't many pictures to illustrate each style of art, the ones that are available serve the museum's content well.  I would rather have a limited number of good pictures than a smorgasbord of whatever a curator can scour from across the web.  I also like that images pop up on the screen when you click them, so that you can view them undistracted by other content.

The only thing I don't like about the China Online Museum is that there's not specific information for every image.  Only some of the pieces are identified with their time period and provenance, and very few have explanations of what is represented in the art.  Many of the images contain a source link, but these aren't always helpful either.

But other than this problem, the China Online Museum is wonderful.  I can't imagine that there are many other places online that have collected so many examples of Chinese art in one place and organized them into a coherent narrative.  Even if you're not an art fanatic, I would recommend at least browsing.  The images are beautiful, the information is plentiful, and the dedication behind this museum is inspiring.


Chine Online Museum
Mission:  To provide a general introduction to China and Chinese culture, with a strong emphasis on Chinese art.
Website:  www.chinaonlinemuseum.com

Art Without End: Olga's Gallery

Have you ever had a painting spring to mind that you know you learned about somewhere, but now you can't remember what it's called or who created it?  You can only recall a few details - it was from the Rococo period and there was a slipper and a swing involved - and it's driving you crazy.  But there's an easy way to solve this dilemma:  visit Olga's Gallery, type in a few keywords, and soon you'll find out that you're thinking of is The Swing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard.

Olga's Gallery claims to be one of the largest online art collections, and it's probably true.  You can search for pieces by artist, movement or country of origin.  You can even do a search by subject - so if you wanted to look up Prince Albert, you could find portraits by both British and German artists.  Olga's Gallery also provides a helpful index of which pieces are recent additions to the gallery.


But this museum is more than just images - it provides a wealth of information about each artist and most of their works.  Besides listing the year, medium, size and location of each image, Olga's Gallery also includes a detailed description of subject matter of many pieces.  And if you're confused about what is being referred to, just hop back to the homepage.  There you can find sections that explain Greek and Roman myths, stories about the saints, notes about the Bible and other religious traditions, and summaries of literature from around the world.  And if you want to delve even deeper into art history, you can read the archived newsletters that Olga's Gallery used to send out.

With so many images and resources available at your fingertips, Olga's Gallery would seem to be an art lover's paradise.  I do appreciate having so much information and history all in one place, but the website is marred by tons of ads.  There are Google ads off the side and embedded in the text; there are huge block ads that you have to scroll past to see the pieces; and there are those devilish pop-under ads that spring up every so often.  Be prepared with deal with these annoyances before you visit.


But do visit.  There's so much available to look at and learn, and you could spend hours jumping from one subject or artist to the next.  Sure, it's grating to find ads everywhere, but if that's the price to pay for having thousands of years of art right in from of you, so be it.


Olga's Gallery
Website:  www.abcgallery.com