The Art & Environment Initiative (A&EI) was established as a CEED project in 1997. At that time our work was limited to Greening the Gateway, a collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). Since then, we have collaborated with the City of Meadville, the Crawford County Development Corporation and the Crawford County Industrial Park, and two additional collaborations with PennDOT (Signs & Flowers and Read Between the Signs). Work on Read Between the Signs is ongoing and will likely take another three years to complete.

Over the last two years I have also focused my efforts on mobilizing the community in support of Meadville PA: Not Your Run of the Mill Community, a project which places natural assets, primarily Mill Run, an historically significant stream that winds its way through Meadville, at the heart of community development efforts.

A&EI projects are rooted in several artistic traditions simultaneously, ranging from participatory public art to environmental art to emerging ecoart practices that attempt to build community and foster environmental awareness. This work is situated at the nexus of community-based practices and is helping to mobilize, empower, and train the sustainability and artistic community leaders of the future.

All A&EI projects involve a collaborative process that begins with charrettes and workshops where community participation in planning and design is central. At times Allegheny students have also been invited into this process, providing a pedagogy of engagement and activism for many of my classes. Throughout this collaborative, participatory process, I maintain the role of lead artist, directing and coordinating the planning, implementation and actual fabrication of these works.

Through these works, we strive to revitalize our community's vision, to create works that beautify and enhance our relationship to our home. We live in an age in which our impact on the planet is more apparent all the time. Development spirals out of control, driven by a deep belief in the values of a consumer-oriented society. These values have led to environmental degradation and the sacrifice of nature, to make room for malls, fast food joints and convenience stores. This in turn has led to what James Howard Kunstler and Gary Eberle call the "geography of nowhere." My goal in projects such as the Greenroom, Signs & Flowers, Read Between the Signs, and Market Alley is to counter this tendency.

Author Ellen Dissanyake has suggested, art reflects a biological need, what she calls the need to "make special." This desire to "make special" is evident on both the individual and collective level; that is, it is reflected in both our internal and external actions. If this is true, then my work has been about trying to make Meadville special. We look for ways to create a sense of place, to make the places in which we work — an alley in downtown Meadville, or a stretch of fence along a local highway — stand out and reflect our history and a sense of pride in our community. It is my hope that these collaborations will make our community stand out, and simultaneously make us take notice of what we are doing and where we may be heading.

Through the Art & Environment Initiative I partner with local agencies to develop works of art that address an environmental concern, which can range from the need for beautification, to the need to build community and/or educate about and resolve local environmental problems. Through collaboration with project partners I have been able to realize projects that are beyond the limits of my capacity as an individual artist. Simultaneously my community partners have had a variety of opportunities to understand experientially that art can play a vital role in individual and community life, while also shaping the aesthetic and philosophical direction of a community.

Amara Geffen
Director Art & Environment Initiative
2007