CAW Presents Recycled Art Show in Memory of Its Founding Curator

Envisioned by the Late Artist Jami Joelle Nielsen, Exhibition Aims to Address Environmental Issues

"The Whale Oil" by Jami Joelle Nielsen | Photo: Courtesy

Interested in resourceful art creation that is low-waste? Look no further than a no-waste art exhibit, The Recycled Show at the Santa Barbara Creative Arts Workshop (CAW).

The second annual event kicks off on Friday, March 28, 5-8 p.m. This exhibition is organized by the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture Outreach Committee in memory of the show’s founder, Jami Joelle Nielsen. Nielsen was the original exhibit organizer and curator of this inspiring event. Curator Rebecca Zendejas will be carrying on her legacy of sustainable artmaking for the art show’s second year of fostering creative togetherness. Art enthusiasts will be sure to enjoy the community-created recycled mandala activity, typewritten poetry, and environmental organizations’ engagement when attending. The show is open to all and is free.

Poster for ‘The Recycled Show’ | Photo: Courtesy

This event is very important to its collaborators because it honors the very special founder of The Recycled Show, who passed away recently.

“Jami’s death earlier this year was a shock and a tragedy. I am so glad that friends of Jami and CAW volunteers are coming together to bring The Recycled Show forward in her honor,” said Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative Executive Director Casey Caldwell in a statement. “It helps me know that while Jami may have passed away from us, her love and her passion carry on.”

The show will spotlight environmental issues through the beautification of objects that are typically labeled as “trash.” One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, as the saying goes, and local artists capture this idea by using unwanted materials to bring light to a singular and prominent environmental issue. The artists will present unique narratives that reference themes of climate change, species extinction, fast fashion, pollinator crisis, wildfires, tech waste, landfill waste, ocean plastics/pollution, and deforestation. This show breaks the binary between what is “high” and “low” art and encourages environmental conversations expanded upon by creatives.

The reception will be equally as engaging as its content, with ecologically themed craft activities led by Santa Barbara’s Art from Scrap and Ecostiks. Several local environmental organizations will also be present to talk to attendees. Caldwell emphasizes, “The Recycled Show is exactly what the CAW is all about. A show created by the passion of a community artist, reflecting their love for art and their desire to make the community and the world better; made possible by the help of people throughout our community, and by this space.”

Participating artists in this show include Wendy Brewer, Adrienne De Guevara, Kimberly Hahn, John Khus, Kathy Leader, Karen Lee, Michael Long, Pali-X Mano, Heidi Parker, Mary Price, Irene Ramirez, Dug Uyesaka, Sue Van Horsen, Vanae Rivera, and Pamela Zwehl-Burke. The exhibit will also feature several works of art by its founder Jami Joelle Nielsen, whose own recycled-object art called for her to create The Recycled Show: A No-Waste Art Exhibit at the CAW in 2024.

Artwork from the show will be available to purchase, and a portion of the proceeds will go to CAW’s creative endeavors. Following the opening, the gallery will be open March 29-30 from noon to 4 p.m. or by appointment from March 31 to April 2. Call (805) 324-7443. For more information, visit sbcaw.org.