Sustainability

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Our Commitment to Environmental Sustainability

ArtCan, a UK-based not-for-profit art organisation, is committed to reducing its environmental impact in all its operations. We recognize the importance of sustainability practices and policies and aim to increase awareness among our artist members and partner organisations. Our goal is to build a community that is keen on environmental concerns and to continue to improve our impact on the environment as we grow.

Our Green Mission

At ArtCan, we aim to be an environmentally responsible art organization by contributing to sustainable development. Our commitment to reducing our environmental impact is an integral part of our mission. We believe that it is our responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint, minimize waste and promote sustainability in all our activities.

Our Approach to Sustainability

ArtCan’s approach to sustainability is based on the principles of the circular economy. We aim to eliminate waste and promote a circular system where resources are used efficiently and effectively. Our sustainability practices are guided by the following principles:

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

At ArtCan, we strive to reduce our consumption of resources and minimise waste by reusing and recycling materials wherever possible. We encourage our members and partner organizations to adopt similar practices.

Green Activities and Resources

We are committed to providing our members with green activities and resources to promote sustainability. We organise workshops, talks, and events that focus on sustainable art practices and environmental awareness. Our members have access to a range of sustainable art materials, and we encourage them to use these materials in their work.

Our Green Team

Our Green Team is composed of four artists members with the administrative support of the Operations Manager and the Director.

Catherine Fenton, Hannah Pratt, Lawrence Matthias, Cat Coulter, Rita Carta Manias, Kate Enters

Catherine

Hannah

Lawrence

What we have done

As a responsible organisation, we are always looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint and minimise our impact on the environment.

In 2021, we made the decision to join the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) membership to show our commitment to sustainability and reducing our impact on the environment. Since then, we have become more aware of our effect on the environment with our activities and have tried to maintain the impact of our CO2 emissions to a minimum.

In 2022, a team of curators embarked on a research project to explore the intersection of art and sustainability. Their goal was to identify artists and organisations that were producing work with a focus on sustainable practices and alternative ways of living. The research culminated in October 2022 with the presentation of the virtual exhibition titled ‘Breathing Out’.

‘Breathing Out’ was a virtual exhibition that showcased the work of artists and organisations that were committed to sustainability and sustainable living. The exhibition was presented online in our virtual gallery, and visitors could access it from anywhere in the world. The exhibition featured a diverse range of thought-provoking, challenging, and inspiring works, including paintings, sculptures, installations. The artists used a variety of materials and techniques to produce their works, including recycled materials and natural dyes.

The curators of the exhibition were a team of experienced professionals passionate about sustainability and the role of art in promoting sustainable practices. They worked tirelessly to identify artists and organizations that were producing work that aligned with the exhibition’s theme.

Their research was presented to our members and the pubic in a series of virtual workshops, which are now available to watch on the ArtCan YouTube Channel.

GCC Statement

We are pleased to announce ArtCan has successfully qualified as a 2023

Active Member with @galleryclimatecoalition! To achieve Active status we had to

demonstrate that our organisation had implemented environmental sustainability best

practice in line with GCC guidance.

Active Membership is not a certification of sustainability nor a claim that we are doing things

perfectly or have all the answers – none of us are at this point. We’re all doing our best to

assess, report and reduce our impact, setting targets in line with science, taking any actions

we can and working out other solutions as we go.

We encourage all of our peers and colleagues to visit the @galleryclimatecoalition page or

website to learn more about the initiative and how to get involved!

#GCCActiveMember #TogetherForOurPlanet #ClimateAction #ClimateEmergency #GCC

#GalleryClimateCoalition

Commitment going forward

At Artcan, we believe in promoting sustainable art practices in a holistic and inclusive manner. As we continue to grow both domestically and internationally, we remain committed to reducing our impact on the environment and promoting sustainability in the art world.

Developing our Website

To further our commitment, we are have opened a sustainability page on our website for sharing all information and resources collected from our ‘Breathing Out’ exhibition, our GCC membership and activities for engaging and promoting sustainable practices and reduction of CO2 emissions.

Monitoring our CO2 Emissions

We also regularly monitor and measure our CO2 emissions, collecting data on our activities and using the CO2 calculator to report on our emissions. This helps us identify areas where we can improve and reduce our impact on the environment.

Reinforcing our Commitment

By applying for GCC Active membership, we are reinforcing our commitment to sustainability and continuing to be part of the conversation around sustainability in the art world.

Communication and Collaboration

We believe in communicating our environmental commitment with our partner organisations, artists, and visitors to our events, encouraging them to support us in reducing our impact. We aim to reuse, recycle, or repurpose more of our event and exhibition materials and promote cycling, walking, and public transport as the best sustainable ways to travel to our events.

We also aim to share sustainable initiatives within our networks of partner organisations, promoting collaboration and collective action towards a more sustainable future.

ArtCan has been a member of Gallery Climate Coalition since 2021, and an ‘Active Member’ since 2022.