2024 News

Sculpture Monster! A Creature from the Plasticine Era (now)

Made from 30,000 collected, non-recyclable plastic bottles + recyclable materials

“What could the Sculpture program do with 30,000 collected plastic bottles?” This is the question Deirdre Healey, Director of the Office of Community Service & Partnerships at the Leduc Center posed to Art & Design Professor Stacy Latt Savage last August 2023. The question was natural as the sculpture program has partnered with the Leduc Center many times over the years creating large-scale public artworks. To take on this new challenge, the sculpture program paired with Assistant Director of Campus Sustainability Jamie Jacquart to bring visiting Artist-in-Residence Rebecca McGee Tuck, a Boston-based activist artist, to lead this endeavor for our campus: making trash into a sculpture that will bring visceral awareness to our global environment crisis. What has ensued over the last 8 months has been a “super collaboration” across the UMass Dartmouth campus and evolved into Sculpture Monster: A creature from the Plasticine Era (now).

Students from Rachel Kulick's sustainable cities class drill and string bottles

Students from Rachel Kulick's Sustainable Cities course drill and string bottles

Collaborators include Be the Solution to Pollution, Campus Sustainability, Leduc Center, MassPIRG, the sustainability studies program and Professor Rachel Kulick’s "SOA 339: Sustainable Cities" course, the CVPA fibers program, the CVPA music program, UMass Dartmouth Honors Program, UMassD Alternative Spring Break, and hundreds of student volunteers and participants from and our community.

Sculpture Monster has evolved into a massive performative sculpture needing nearly 50 volunteers to activate and parade for Earth Day. The Corsair Athletic Band leads our procession with a samba ensemble inspired by Music Professor Jamie Eckert.

Sculpture Monster will make her debut at the Earth Day Parade at New Bedford’s April 11th AHA! Night: ahanewbedford.org/next-aha

What happens next is up to you.

Questions? Contact info:
stacy.savage@umassd.edu and rebeccamtuck@gmail.com