Our Mission
RuckusRoots is ARTivism: Activism through Art.
RuckusRoots believes in the power of the creative process to change the world. Through collaborative, interactive art and music installations, we aim to encourage environmental awareness and action in young adults, inspiring them to imagine and create a more sustainable world.
We believe that the art of making and fixing things is an essential part of a sustainable lifestyle; as a nation, we need to focus on using—and reusing—what we already have instead of continuing the damaging cycle of throwing away and consuming more. Artistic innovation is integral to this change, and so our programs involve and support practicing artists.
Goals
- Reinvent activism for young adults by merging youth culture with cause, and creating positive, inspirational experiences centered on eco-ARTivism.
- Give young adults a voice, through art and music, to express themselves about important eco and social issues.
- Create a culture shift in young adults from passive disengagement and consumption to informed, personalized artistic innovation/action.
- Give young adults the vital art and building skills they need to create sustainable lifestyles for themselves and their communities.
- Support the arts by creating programs that illustrate the value of art as a way to reduce consumption and wasteful lifestyle practices.
Programs
- TRASHformation is an interactive, improvisational art experience that turns campus-generated waste, recycling and/or surplus items into a sustainably built, aesthetically stunning and functional sculpture, soon to be implemented at college and University campuses nationwide.
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TRASHformation aims to raise awareness about excessive resource use, consumption, and waste production. Our goal is to change the way students think about their garbage, making it clear that trash can be transformed into treasure. The installation creates huge visual impact by illustrating just how much trash students, faculty, and staff produce on campus, while also teaching students fundamental art, construction and sustainable building skills they can later use to Trash-form their own lives. More than trash, we transform solitary bystanders into a bonded and empowered community of “can do” activists, enthusiastically applying their own creative powers.
- Interactive Music Installations: drawn in by the ultimate unifier: music, young people can express their social, eco and political thoughts on our collaborative electronic music installations, the Octamasher, Syncomasher and Mini-Masher by Matt Moldover.
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- Interactive Visual Installations: Evoking our common kitchens, the “Freedom of Speech Wall” is a giant magnetic poetry wall made out of recycled refrigerator doors. Participants can easily arrange words to express their thoughts, or collaborate by building on an existing poem. The message on the wall constantly changes throughout each event, shifting to reflect the various feelings and beliefs of the participants.
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