Green Arts Network

Festival Series @ MassArt: 2015-2018

FESTIVAL SYNOPSIS

The Green Arts Network was a social media outlet that produced annual festivals led by MassArt students Stephanie Houten and Hank Fay, sponsored by MassArt SGA. Its purpose was to create a platform for the variety of communities involved in the sustainability and climate change movements to network, collaborate, and exchange ideas. As the festival grew each year, we learned more about these movements and how we could contribute to a better world as makers, thinkers, and organizers. The fourth annual Green Arts Festival was held in fall 2018, and brought more communities together under a common goal of a more sustainable arts community.

The 2018 Green Arts Festival focused on the importance of indigenous voices and intersectionality in the movement for our earth. How are artists using their craft and creativity to bring these voices to the forefront? What can artists and community members do moving forward to support these movements in the struggle for a protected planet?

BACKGROUND

While taking a Sustainability in Art & Design course at MassArt, Stephanie envisioned a platform for sustainability-focused artists and activists to share their work not just via the web, but in person too. Stephanie created a Facebook page called "The Green Arts Network", where she would regularly share articles, artwork, campaigns, and websites to create a unified source for sustainability-related media.

In 2014, a micro grant from the Sustainability Initiative at MassArt allowed us to produce the first Green Arts Festival production. Held in the fall of 2015, the Green Arts Network Artist Showcase of 2015 featured several artists and local organizations working to bring awareness around climate change. Co-producing with fellow MassArt student Hank Fay, we ignited a visceral dialogue on sustainability in our local and global communities.