"Toxic Art" Exhibition Design

Artist John Sabraw and the organization Rural Action needed exhibition design and copy writing for a string of shows for his sereis "Toxic Art."

Environmental Design

Interactive

Copy Writing

Coding

Research

Project Overview

Client: Artist John Sabraw and Rural Action
Industry: Arts & Culture, Nonprofit
Timeline: August 2024 to March 2025
My Role: Lead Designer and Copy Writer

Artist John Sabraw and the nonprofit organization Rural Action have partnered to turn acid mine drainage into paint pigments. Through cleaning up AMD sites, the iron sludge is then used to create paint – paint that is then used in the work of Sabraw. Begining with a show in the Canton Museum of Art and then traveling to other locations, the "Toxic Art" show is a visualization of Sabraw's artwork as well as the work of Rural Action to create economic and environmental change in Appalachian Ohio.

Through working with Sabraw and Rural Action, I used visual and interactive design as well as language to translate the process and impact of this work. I was able to create a clear visual and written narrative for museum visitors to experience.

I created additional collateral by drafting outreach emails to be used by Sabraw, Rural Action, True Pigments and Gamblin Artists Colors. Further, I created a submission form and slide show presentation for artists that have used the AMD paint developed by Sabraw to have their artwork digitally featured in the exhibition. I achieved this by writing a code that automatically takes Google Forms responses and formats them into a Google Slides presentation.