“Human Not So Kind” Art Exhibition Focuses on Natural World, Beauty and Destruction

Caldwell, N.J., May 20, 2019 – The Mueller Gallery at Caldwell University is featuring an exhibition focusing on the natural world and its beauty and raising awareness of how humanity is disrupting that beauty. “Human Not So Kind” was created by student Phoebe Schepacarter for her senior art project.

Schepacarter, who received her Bachelor Fine Arts degree on May 19, said the exhibition gave her a way to highlight issues that many people are not talking about related to nature and the environment.

The front room of the gallery features 14 different pieces representing the natural world. “These works feature seven different biome areas that focus on the natural beauty of each area. Contrasting the beauty of each of these landscapes, are multiple ways that humanity has negatively affected the natural world,” said Schepacarter of Franklinville, New Jersey. Each landscape piece has an informational panel that has five facts about the biome and a statement about the ways humanity is destroying the world.

The back room of the gallery focuses on the positives of what humanity is doing for the earth. “There is a nine foot tall mural that is a map of the world indicating how well each country is taking care of the world and there are 24 panels highlighting specific places where people are taking care of the world. The panels also provide recommendations on how people can alter their lifestyles to be more earth friendly,” explained Schepacarter.

“I hope to make people feel responsible and to create a wave of change, even if it is just small daily changes to improve the world we live in, as it is the only one we have and we are all responsible for the condition it is in,” said Schepacarter.

Schepacarter’s artist statement is:

It is human nature to believe we are not at fault. To believe that we are doing the right thing because it directly benefits us. Contrary to this belief not everything we do is right or just, but everything we do has a cause and effect. The world around us is constantly changing and we are all the cause. These pieces were created to show the beauty of the natural world and how we are all at fault for the destruction of this world around us. To inform people of all the destruction we are causing just by living. However, there is hope. Around the world there are countries changing their way of life to protect the world they have and to improve it for those to come. Everyone is at fault. But this also means that everyone can be the positive change we need to see in the world. Even if the change is only small steps, it is still something and will make a difference. We need to be more human-kind and less human not-so kind.

“Human Not So Kind” will be on display in the Mueller Gallery through the summer. To make an appointment to see the exhibition, contact Professor Suzanne Baron at sbaron@caldwell.edu.