ON NOW & UPCOMING

Plastique
Group Exhibition, Opalka Gallery, Russell Sage College, Albany, NY
March 17 - April 18, 2026, Tour & Reception: March 20, 5:30-7:30pm
Curated by Aurora Robson

Plastique features a selection of artists from Project Vortex, a global collective dedicated to intercepting the plastic waste stream to inspire action. Plastic has saturated our planet, overwhelming us with its volume, diversity, and omnipresence. The artists featured in Plastique are pioneers in contemplating and transforming this resplendent refuse that is wreaking havoc, yet serves as a uniquely versatile medium for art and innovation. As of 2026, over 90% of plastics produced annually are incinerated or landfilled, and global production continues to climb. Plastique invites viewers to reconsider their relationship with this non-biodegradable substance that remains so challenging to recycle. Since plastics have become a permanent fixture in our environment, our bodies, the air and water, how can we address them without losing hope? Plastique suggests that beauty, attention, care, creativity, curiosity, and innovation may offer an inviting path towards a sustainable culture and future worth exploring. 

–Curator and Project Vortex founding member Aurora Robson

Artists: Ellen Driscoll, Twyla Exner, Natalya Khorover, Niki Lederer, Steve McPherson, Anna Mein, Pamela Moulton, Portia Munson, Anne Percoco, Aurora Robson, Tyrome Tripoli

A Rising Tide of Plastic in Art
Group Exhibition, Art Rage Gallery, Syracuse, NY
April 11 - May 23, 2026, Reception: April 11
Curated by Aurora Robson

Project Vortex is an international collective of artists, designers, and architects actively focusing on the global problem of plastic pollution through their art. Curated by founding member Aurora Robson, this exhibition features a selection of works by Project Vortex members who are sequestering post-industrial and post-consumer plastic into works of art.

The world produces an estimated 360 million metric tons of plastic waste annually. Only approximately 9% of plastics are actually recycled globally. Current research reveals that microplastics are present in the bodies of virtually all humans. Operating at the intersection of art and science, Project Vortex strives to inspire people to rethink and reinvent plastic debris through innovation, creative stewardship, and education. Dedicated to improving global understanding of the impacts of plastic consumption and pollution, Project Vortex works to restrict the flow of plastic debris into the oceans and subsequently into the bodies of humans and animals.

Encrustation
Community engaged public art project
City of Nanaimo, Nanaimo, BC
Summer-Fall 2026

In Encrustation: Barnacles of Belonging, artist Twyla Exner proposes a participatory sculptural installation inspired by the humble barnacle, an often-overlooked yet iconic feature of coastal ecosystems. Drawing on Nanaimo’s waterfront identity, the project will invite community members to take part in hands-on workshops to sculpt their own barnacle forms, which will later be cast in durable materials and collectively affixed in a location along the city’s waterfront.

The resulting installation will form a dense cluster of larger-than-life barnacles, each carrying the unique imprint of its maker while contributing to a shared visual ecosystem. The work explores themes of belonging, attachment to place, and the ways individuals leave traces on their surroundings. By blending themes of nature with collaborative making, Encrustation: Barnacles of Belonging will create a living archive of community participation - one that is playful, tactile, and deeply connected to Nanaimo’s coastal character.

Twyla Exner is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Thompson Rivers University and an experienced community-engaged artist whose practice often merges handcrafted forms with recycled and industrial materials. Her work has been exhibited widely across Canada and is held in several public collections.