COLLABORATIONS
TOXIC ART
This project aims to save waterways from coal mine pollution by turning that pollution into valuable pigments and paints.
For decades, pollution from abandoned underground coalmines has been killing aquatic life in our waterways. This high concentration of acid and heavy metals is called acid mine drainage, or 'AMD', and pollutes over 1,300 miles of streams in Ohio alone.
Some of these AMD polluting mine seeps release over one million gallons of toxic water each day. There is so much pollution in this water it's like junking two cars a day into a stream.
ACID MINE DRAINAGE:
Acidic, and though initially clear, contains high amounts of dissolved iron.
ORANGE:
Acid is neutralized, and iron mixes with oxygen and becomes visible.
SEPARATED:
Iron oxide precipitates and settles, leaving clean water on top.
PIGMENT:
Iron oxide is dried and ground into artist grade pigment.
CLEAN:
Neutralized cleaned water is returned to the stream.
OUR TEAM
Our team of artists, engineers, watershed specialists and students are working to prove a process that will intercept this pollution, extract the heavy metal (iron oxide) and turn it into stunning pigments and paints, and then return the clean and safe water back to the stream, restoring aquatic life.
The collected pigment is fired at different temperatures to make new colors. The pigment can then be blended with different binders to make oil, acrylic, watercolor and other paints.
Right now our process works at the lab level in small batches. We are building this scaled pilot plant to prove it can work at a sustainable, industrial scale.
FOOTAGE BY RURAL ACTION
MURALS
Site Specific, Community-Driven, and Inherently Collaborative.
FOOTAGE BY ADAM MAYHALL AND LUCA WISTENDAHL
ATHENS BICYCLE, 2016
Samantha Slone, Tiffany Roenigk
LINKS:
Sketching in Community Murals
Ohio Today
https://ohiotoday.org/sketching-in-community/
Mural Being Painted on Former Company Store of Athens Brick Company
The Athens Messenger
ATHENS BREAD COMPANY, 2015
Meg Beerse, Rachel Bender, Grace Brewer, John Brown, Bella Castillo, Alayna Coverly, Clare Gucwa, Jolena Hansbarger, Todd Kunkler, Hongmo Liu, Emily Mantell, Adam Mayhall, Johnna Miska, Ben Piper, Asher Pollock, Tiffany Roenigk, John Sabraw, Becky Sirc, Samantha Slone
LINKS:
The Athens Bread Company Mural Project
Luca Wistendahl
https://www.behance.net/gallery/29277149/Athens-Bread-Company-Mural-Video
OU Art Students Spruce Up Athens Bread Co. with Mural
WOUB Public Media
https://ohiotoday.org/sketching-in-community/