The World Affairs Forum at Seton Hill University partnered with the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley (SAMA) on Tuesday, October 6, to host “green is a primary color: Discussion on Art, Ecology and Education.” The event featured presentations from four local artists, educators, and advocates and concluded with questions and responses from the audience.

The four local experts offered their personal experiences and insights. Speakers addressed related economic, social and cultural topics, including the cultural changes necessary for fostering worldwide sustainability, the feasibility of sustainability and other “green” efforts within local communities, the benefits of environmental efforts within indigenous cultures, urban communities and economic dependencies, the global economic implications of environmental movements and the promotion of sustainability and environmental responsibility to future generations.

Speakers included environmental educator Angela Belli, artist and art therapy professor Dana Elmendorf, environmental artist and art educator Constance Merriman and artist and art educator Stuart Thompson.

Belli is director of the Environmental Education Center at the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve at Saint Vincent College. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Seton Hill University and her Master of Science degree in environmental science from Duquesne University. She is a trained facilitator for numerous environmental projects and is a trained educator for Pennsylvania Amphibians and Reptiles and Pennsylvania Songbirds.

“My job is to harness a love of nature in children. They have a sense of wonder and are so open to nature,” said Belli. “It is important for children to understand the importance of a green world-physically, emotionally, and socially-and this is why children need to understand how and why nature works.”

Elmendorf is an artist, art therapist and assistant professor at Seton Hill University, and has a passion for the evolving genre of eco-art. As an artist, Elmendorf works from a holistic perspective and considers all life part of a system. Within her art, she attempts to combine green elements and recyclable materials with her own personal experiences in nature.

“Taking care of the earth is my ‘response ability.’ When I begin working on a piece of art, I use recycled, found, or discarded materials. Arts have an important role in helping communities become more aware of the issues artists can bring to ecological awareness,” said Elmendorf. “I constantly ask myself, ‘how am I affecting the places I have been and how are they affecting me?’ These questions develop my ‘response ability’ and I have concern for all I create. Every time you enter an area, leave that area more beautiful than when you came.”

Merriman is an artist and a teacher who has been creating artwork for over 30 years. More recently, she has focused on the social and environmental effects of the worldwide extraction of fuel for energy. She currently teaches at The School of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University, as well as at The Carnegie Museum of Art. Merriman also is a collaborator in the Community Forest Project at the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University.

“I have been doing environmental art for nearly 30 years. As my projects have developed through the years, I have become more and more and more engaged to effect change and not just create art,” said Merriman. “There is a depth of research behind each piece of environmental art I create. I work to keep the art as truthful as possible. The discipline of environmental art is becoming more popular and viewed by larger audiences. Environmental artists are now being brought in to advise communities on how to improve conditions and become more green.”

Thompson has taught art at both the high school and university level and is a retired professor emeritus in art from Seton Hill University. Also a sculptor and painter, Thompson creates artwork focused on nature, often drawing from his own experiences hiking various trails in Pennsylvania and southeast Utah, the Appalachian Trail and the Grand Canyon. Thompson also has exhibited and juried extensively.

“I believe in celebrating and sharing the outdoors. Getting people outside makes them pay attention. Their energy is much higher and their attention is much greater,” said Thompson. “We need to be in the business of taking care of everything-people, animals, ecosystems, and the environment. We must take responsibility. If we do not, who will?”