December 23, 2016

Artist Strikes a Chord with Innovations Project

By Margaret A. Keough

Artist Calder Kamin debuted Plastic Planet at Austin’s Women & Their Work gallery with the support of an Artistic Innovations grant.

Plastic Planet features colorful animals created entirely from single-use plastic shopping bags. Artist Calder Kamin collected bags from friends, colleagues, and family to create her menagerie of scavenger animals, like opossums, deer, and raccoons. Her work was reviewed in several major publications, including The Daily Texan, The Austin Chronicle, and Tribeza.

Kamin reported that over 350 students visited Plastic Planet, and participated in activities designed by Kamin to explore environmental stewardship.

“I am grateful for all of the community support behind my project!” wrote Kamin. Plastic Planet closed its run at Women & Their Work on November 10.

Margaret A. Keough Staff Writer

Margaret A. Keough is M-AAA's first Director of Advocacy, working to strengthen our region's arts and creativity sector through advocacy. For more than 30 years, she served in marketing and communications roles at M-AAA, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Keough holds undergraduate degrees in art history and advertising from the University of Kansas and a master’s in business administration from Rockhurst University.