Over the past year, Lance mentored and challenged twelve ambitious emerging artists with ages ranging between their 20’s and 60’s to conceive and realize artwork that addresses the global hazard of plastic pollution. Fortunately, the news media has covered the subject through recent articles about the ban on plastic straws, images of dead beached whales filled with plastic garbage, or birds suffocating from a single use plastic bag, and so on. These horrific images and tales are engraved in the minds of everyone who learns of the stories but since our news cycle is so fleeting, readers move on to the next atrocity or what the Kardashians wearing.

In the case of the twelve conceptual artists, each conducted their general research to select a topic that is both personal and relevant to them. After their decisions were made, each artist dug deep into academic research and emerged with an art concept that is visual, artistic, relevant, and didactic.

The exhibition at the Monterey Museum of Art perfectly showcases the artworks and installations in their Dart Gallery attached to their historic and amazing La Mirada estate.  As a special treat, visitors experienced the garden courtyard where one smells the aroma of the heirloom roses in full bloom.  The museum and grounds was the perfect retreat and place for contemplation especially after seeing ambitious artwork and installations about how our lifestyles are contributing to the destruction of our oceans, creatures and our own food chain.