Minnesota artist Erik Jon Olson recently had a show at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. His medium is quilted plastic waste, creating art that comments on consumerism, consumption, and capitalism. From his artist statement, “By layering environmental issues with social justice messaging, my art emphasizes our alienation from the environment and each other, our willingness to waste, and our subsequent need for healing.”

Olson machine quilts used single-use plastics, uses batting of pallet wrap or packing material, and utilizes thread left over from garment manufacturing. His sewing machines are previously owned. Any leftover scraps are used in future works.

“By minimizing my carbon footprint in the creation of pieces and transcending the medium without denying what it is, I create art that embodies Marshall McLuhan’s concept that ‘the medium is the message.’”