Plarn Art
By Michelle Lougee, Arlington’s Artist in Residence
It’s mid-June and I’m sitting in my studio surrounded by soft, colorful sculptural shapes created by community members during my 8-month residency with the Arlington Commission for the Arts & Culture. Diverse volunteers – some accomplished crafters and others complete beginners – have crocheted more than 250 pieces – blue “bowls”, orange and green tubes, multi-colored funnel shapes, and large base forms. They used “plarn” – yarn created by cutting up single use plastic bags, and the pieces are components for larger sculptural works that I have started to assemble for installation on the Minuteman Bikeway.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when Cecily Miller, Arlington’s Public Art Curator, approached me with a proposal for a collaborative public art project for Pathways 2020. My current work was prompted by learning about the horrors of ocean plastic pollution 15 years ago. It is also inspired by the qualities of natural forms – whether seed pods, nests, and ocean creatures or the microscopic organisms found in a drop of water. I transform plastic bags into biomorphic forms that draw parallels between plastic use and its effect on our environment. This is a labor-intensive process, and I am used to working alone. An artist-in-residence model offered an energizing opportunity to enlist a whole community in order to expand both the scale of my artwork and the impact of the message that we must reduce plastic to protect the environment.
Despite the impact of COVID-19, so many people have generously joined in. The project enlisted a wide spectrum of community members. For many, participation was simply collecting and donating their plastic bags- over 1000 when we lost count! Others became plarn experts, meticulously cutting bags into loops and stringing them together into neat skeins and balls. For another group, it was learning to crochet for the first time, following a simple pattern and having the success of making specific shapes. Finally, a group of accomplished crafters were essential partners; they not only made elements for the sculptures but taught their neighbors how to crochet. I am grateful to everyone who contributed!
When the pandemic hit, all of the community building and programming that Cecily and I worked so hard on was canceled and everything was put on hold. People have adjusted and are still producing parts for the sculptures. I’ve been able to deliver pre-pandemic plastic bags from my own stash to some people, and both Cecily and I have picked up completed work from all over the town. I’ve been designing the final structures. Part of my process is to make custom wire supports for each soft component so that it holds its three-dimensional shape. Once wired, the components can be assembled into the sculptural pieces ready for installation.
Recently I've been walking on the Bikeway with Cecily and project advisor Lorri Berrenberg to determine which specific trees will “host” the finished sculptures. Many of the forms are inspired by freshwater microorganisms that are in Spy Pond. I have selected twelve sites along the Minuteman near Spy Pond, between The Kickstand Cafe and Linwood Street.
I hope that all of the participants and contributors will take pride in the end result of this long-term project. I am so grateful for all of their time, effort, and support. This vibrant community and process has taught me a great deal, and I will miss working with everyone, but hope the finished installation will offer a happy reminder of our collaboration and a hopeful message of what we can accomplish working together.
Michelle’s Artist-in-Residence project was funded by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Friends of the Fox Library, the ACAC Grants Committee as well as individual contributions and funds raised from the 2019 Chairful Where You Sit. Join us for an artist talk at 13 Forest Gallery date to be determined. For more information http://artsarlington.org/artist-in-residence/