International environmental artist Sandra Hansen's exhibition 'Our Exquisite Pollution Series: Under the Sea' is on view at the Evanston Art Center from March 28 to April 26. The show features large-scale marine scenes made from handmade paper and repurposed plastics, including a 12-foot paper whale and kelp columns braided from hundreds of plastic bags, all highlighting the impact of plastic pollution on oceans. Hansen began the series in 2014 after learning about agricultural runoff in Lake Erie and has since collected beach trash to incorporate into her conceptual art.
The exhibition matters because it uses immersive, visually striking art to communicate an urgent environmental message about plastic pollution, reaching audiences—especially children—in a way that statistics alone cannot. Hansen's work, which has been shown internationally including at China's Inner Mongolia Art Museum, represents a growing trend of artists using their practice for environmental advocacy. The fact that Hansen is selling her work for the first time through the Evanston Art Center also signals a shift in how activist art can enter the market while maintaining its core message.