208 ONE STUDENT’S TRASH IS ANOTHER STUDENT’S TRANSFORMATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 4, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Kristen Keene, Walker Library, 615-898-5376

ONE STUDENT’S TRASH IS ANOTHER STUDENT’S TRANSFORMATION MTSU Students Send a Message about Paper Waste with Unique Art Project

(MURFREESBORO) – Three MTSU art students have turned waste into wonder with a project that turns a trip to the James E. Walker Library into a consciousness-raising experience.
Hannah Green of Knoxville, Christine Peterson of Lyles and Erin Piper of Murfreesboro, members of the Student Art Alliance, will leave their artwork, titled “Reduce,” in place through the last day of final exams Thursday, Dec. 13. It consists of a pile of bags of paper from copiers and recycle bins and strings of crumpled paper stretched across the library atrium.
Kristen West, assistant professor at the library, says only two weeks’ worth of discarded paper was used, an estimated 3,600 sheets of paper for the nine strings alone.
“We were looking for a visual message about library printing and paper use, and we wanted to get people thinking about what they could do to use our resources wisely,” West says.
Posters made of recycled cardboard and located beside the pile on the main floor in front of the staircase alert library users to the wisdom of printing double-sided and previewing before they print to avoid waste.
Since collection was an integral part of the experience, it is only fitting that Green, Peterson and Piper respond to questions about the project collectively, via e-mail.
“We brainstormed together as early as September,” they write, “determining what would be most effective while honoring safety guidelines and the comfort of library employees and users. We went through many permutations, including various performative and sculptural elements, of this idea before settling on the specific installation you see now.”
The artists strung clumps of paper on nine 60-foot extensions of carbon-infused fishing line, three on each floor, treating the empty space above the patrons’ heads rather like a Christmas tree decorated with strings of popcorn balls.
“Initially, we had to adhere to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements, and the library requested we not attach anything to the walls,” the trio write. “As we worked, we realized a few ideas would not work due to the heavy traffic in the atrium and factors such as wind, noise and mobility.”

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According to the Walker Library blog, 6,347,650 pages were printed in the library last year. If laid end to end, they would stretch 1100 miles or, if they were stacked, they would be 2,115 feet tall.
The library’s printing costs are covered, in part, by the $100 Technology Access Fee that each student pays each semester. This fiscal year, the library has $73,133.27 to spend on printing. To date, $44,129.50 has been spent.
Although the consciousness-raising about environmental and monetary costs is important, it is not the only benefit. Green, Peterson and Piper assert that they had fun working as a group and solving the issues involved in putting the project together. Furthermore, they express gratitude for the feedback they’ve received.
“Most viewers were encouraging of our work and the message,” they write. “Besides the environmental message, it seemed library users liked having something new and interesting to look at—this is the first time the atrium space has ever been utilized in this capacity since the library’s construction.”

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For color jpeg photos of the “Reduce” project, contact Kristen Keene at the Walker Library at 615-898-5376.