We were recently invited to the Wild Ones Quad Cities Symposium at The Hauberg Estates to share all about Eco Art! Eco Art is such a wide genre of art making. What follows is a more in depth exploration on Eco Art that may not have been able to fit in the confines of a brief panel chat. Here you’ll find more information on the artists, with links out from this article should you care to go down any rabbit holes.
For those new to this format, let me introduce myself! My name is Meg Hollister, I’m a mixed media artist that creates collages inspired from my adventures in backyard food foresting and micro-prairie-ing in Rock Island IL.
In the past I’ve created art installations from old books, found object sculptures, animation using old books, murals for parks and sensory gardens.Working in multiple disciplines has been something that I’ve carried through my creative work which is why I feel that environmental art suits me. I can combine all of my loves and my stories in this format.
What is Eco Art?
Eco Art aims to cultivate empathy and respect for the environment and generate meaningful conversations about our relationship with the natural world.
Some Favorite Artists:
Aurora Robson
Brooklyn-based contemporary artist Aurora Robson uses everyday waste such as discarded plastic bottles, plastic bags, bottle caps and other forms of debris that she carves, cuts and twists into intricate and brilliantly colored hanging sculptures reminiscent of marine life.
She exhibited locally at the Figge Art Museum in 2011, pictured below.
Andy Goldsworthy
Andy Goldsworthy (born 25 July 1956) is an English sculptor, photographer, and environmentalist who produces site-specific sculptures and land art situated in natural or urban settings.
Max Liboiron
Max Liboiron’s eco-artworks are heavily influenced by her past studies in environmental sciences. Indeed, she focuses on environmental degradation caused by human pollution in the natural world, as reflected in her ‘Sea Globes’.
Quad Cities Eco Artists
We have a few eco artists currently practicing in the Quad Cities, check them out!
Amber Williams
Amber Williams is a collage artist out of Rock Island Illinois. She up cycles envelopes using the printed patterns inside to create beautiful landscape pieces. She recently exhibited at Art in the Bend in East Moline and has showings regularly in the QC Area.
Heidi Sallows
A long time local mural extraordinaire, Heidi’s roots included studies in the Green and Eco Art Movements. Heidi has been a part of creating numerous public, private art and mural projects here in the Quad Cities and beyond, working hard slinging paint for the last 25 + years.
This photo features her recent project leading student artists in a series of murals about protecting local watersheds. This mural can be found at Junge Park in Davenport, IA
Kristin Quinn
Large format painter and Professor of Art at St. Ambrose University, Kristin Quinn’s painting process s heavily influenced by her study of the natural world. She uses her travels throughout the Midwest’s many waterways to inspire her artwork.
Adriana McBride
Inspired by the earliest rock artists, cave painters and
even master painters like Leonardo da Vinci who each
crafted their own paints from natural pigments, Adriana
McBride is a boundary-pushing artist and ecologist who
harnesses the raw beauty of soil and natural pigments to
create visceral, earth-driven works that honor and
celebrate nature.
From sculptures to dynamic splatter paintings and
abstract landscapes, her work embodies the raw
essence of the land—crafted from the land itself—
bridging ancient traditions with a contemporary vision
that calls for the restoration and protection of natural
spaces.
