Un*sus*tain*a*ble

Un*sus*tain*a*ble
Featuring found object artist, Karen O’Dowd, Main Street Gallery’s upcoming show, “un*sus*tain*a*ble” (water or plastics, portraits of beauty and destruction) is a visual portrayal of societies unrelenting use of plastic and its impact on the oceans and waterways. In conjunction with the Smithsonian Water/Ways Exhibit, ”un*sus*tain*a*ble” will be open at Main Street Gallery in November and December.
Two meet the artist receptions will be held November 9, and December 14 from 5-8 pm at the gallery at 518 Poplar St. in Cambridge.

Passionate about recycling and upcycling, O’Dowd’s work took a curve after reading that by the year 2050, plastic will outweigh marine life in our oceans.“After reading that I kept reading and every aspect of the plastic issue steamrolled into other horrific consequences”, she comments. Every speck of plastic we use, and it is everywhere on virtually everything we consume, will last 500-1,000 years. And an enormous amount of it is ending up in our oceans, creating a swath of toxic, marine life- killing habitat. Recycling is not an answer, at least not yet, as it is too costly and the market for recyclable plastic cannot begin to keep up with our consumption. “Plus, she adds, the vast majority of plastic produced is not recyclable.”

“We need to act, personally and on regional and global levels to address this horrific, world wide problem.” Everyone needs to use less and while alternatives to plastic are only just beginning to become readily available, we all can do better, use less and buy smarter. We can make our voices heard and demand reductions in single-use plastic.

Visit the Water/Ways page for a full calendar of Smithsonian Water/Ways programming.