Since 2001, greenmuseum.org has been helping people create, present and appreciate art that heals our relationship with the natural world.  This online museum offers a wealth of information about artists who are doing exciting and innovative work that directly speaks to the environmental issues of our time. In this podcast, Arts & Healing Network Director Mary Daniel Hobson interviews Sam & Anne, core team members of greenmuseum.org about the environmental art movement, giftivism, generosity and advice for artists wanting to engage the natural world. Recently, greenmuseum.org has begun pioneering a new approach to sustainability as an organization by adopting a gift economy model, and so their entire organization is now run by volunteers. 

You can listen and subscribe to the Arts and Healing Podcast on iTunes.

Leah Piken Kolidas is a mixed-media artist and creativity guide living near Boston, MA with her husband and their four fuzzy cats.  She loves sipping hot chocolate, wearing silly socks, and everything turquoise.  Leah blogs about creativity and art at CreativeEveryDay.com, where she also leads Art Every Day Month (every November) and the year-long Creative Every Day Challenge. You can view more of her art at BlueTreeArtGallery.com and follow her on Twitter at leah_art.

You can listen and subscribe to the Arts and Healing Podcast on iTunes.

For over ten years, artists Richard Lang and Judith Selby Lang have been collecting trash together on Kehoe Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California, and turning it into playful and powerful works of art that raise awareness about ocean pollution.  The plastic they collect has become everything from sculptural wall art to digital prints, a wedding dress, jewelry, a mobile car sculpture, and more.  Ultimately, their work combines fun and passionate obsession with a thoughtful message about ocean pollution, recycling and creative re-use.

In June 2010, the Arts and Healing Network's Director, Mary Daniel Hobson, interviewed them at their home and studio in Forest Knolls, CA about art, passion, collaboration, collecting, the importance of place, and the tragedy of plastic polluting our oceans. Judith and Richard were also one of the 2009 recipients of the AHN Award.

You can learn more about their work at beachplastic.com, and read anecdotes about their plastic collecting and artmaking on their blog, Plastic Forever.

If you are interested in learning more about the problem of plastic pollution and how to be part of the solution, Judith and Richard offer the following resources:

- Beth Terry at Fake Plastic Fish shares helpful tips for living plastic free.

- Dr. Hideshige Takada of International Pellet Watch is tracking nurdles, and could use your help with his research.

- Plastic Pollution Coalition is an organization committed to stopping plastic pollution.

- Project Kaisai is a nonprofit seeking to understand the scale of marine pollution.

Amy Taub is the Executive Director of Creativity Explored, a nonprofit arts center in San Francisco, CA where artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit, and sell art.  The studio artists work at one of the two San Francisco studios, which are staffed by over 20 professional artists who act as teachers and guides.  Artworks created by the studio artists are sold through the Creativity Explored Gallery, and also in their online store.  The studio artists receive 50% of all proceeds. The rest is used to support Creativity Explored.

To learn more about Creativity Explored, go to www.creativityexplored.org.

Sandra Hobson is a counselor and consultant to individuals and organizations who are interested in using art and indigenous wisdom for personal, community and environmental healing.  She has been an advisor to the Arts and Healing Network since its beginning in the mid-90's.

A world-traveler, Sandra has studied with shamans and native healers from diverse cultures including Peru, Nepal, Ecuador, Mongolia, and more. She carries that wisdom into her counseling practice and into her recently published book, Rituals for Life's Milestones, which includes 15 rituals that anyone could use to create deeper connection and meaning in one's life.

You can learn more about her book at charleshobson.com/books/rituals.html.