Opening Reception - Friday April 22nd 6-9pm

SOS Security Blanket | April 22nd - May 39th, 2011

Mercedes Rodgers

As a community organizer and Florida resident, artist Mercedes Rodgers has found a way to give a voice to people who are still dealing with the effects of the disastrous Gulf Oil spill. Her SOS Security Blanket is a conceptual quilt made entirely of petroleum-based products. The blanket is a symbolic representation of the naive way in which we have been hiding from the true costs of our dependence on petroleum, much in the way a child would hide under a favorite blanket.

One year after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, Mercedes Rodgers has collected over 300 individual blanket squares created by concerned artists and individuals from around the country. This community art piece is not only visually striking, it is a call for change from many voices. Her mission is to have people from all over the world who have concerns about our dependence on fossil fuels participate by making and contributing their squares to the project. The assembled squares create a visual petition for better energy policies and a more sustainable future. By creating a square, anyone who feels hopeless, vulnerable or angry will be able to use art to express their frustration and be part of a unified call for change. Bringing together all of our angst, fear, and feelings of helplessness into one large project will create a strong visual message and help remind people about the hazards of off-shore drilling and unsustainable energy practices.

Rodgers is inviting anyone who has something to say about the Gulf oil spill (or other man-made disasters) to design a square for the SOS Blanket using old shower curtains, grocery store bags, construction plastic or any other recycled petroleum-based plastic. During the exhibition there will be a workstation set up with materials for people to make squares. Artists working in any medium, from writers, to painters to crafts people, may contribute squares by making them at the reception, or by mailing them to the gallery. See the SOS Security blanket main page for more details.