Maddy Eggleston - 2021

Artist's Statement

In this class I was presented with endless information that confirmed, without a shadow of a doubt, that our planet is in a crisis. While I came to this conclusion by simply analyzing data, this issue has unfortunately been deeply politicized. It has been to such a degree that some people refuse to hear what we have to say sheerly because of political persuasion. People also avoid discussing the impact humans have had on the Earth because the urgency can feel “doom and gloom”, “alarmist” or simply overwhelming.

I chose to focus on ways that we can shift toward a more plant-based diet because of the benefits to our health and the planet’s health. By exploring this topic through writing a skit, my goal was to make the presentation more palatable and more light-hearted. By doing this, my goals were to appeal to people who usually avoid these conversations based on political stigma, and to reach out to people who may feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. Incorporating more plant based options into our diet is a fun, easy, and accessible way to contribute to healing our planet.