Mel Chin

Mel Chin’s work demonstrates environmental and political awareness.  Chin is a conceptual artist whose work is varied and diverse.  He is most famous for a work entitled Revival Field.  If a student were to see a picture of this particular artwork, he or she would most likely wonder why someone bothered to take a picture of some fences and a few plants. 

It is the concept behind Revival Field that can really make students think about art and the environment.  Revival Field is built on a small section of an old landfill just outside St. Paul, Minnesota.  The landfill is contaminated with a variety of materials, including heavy metals, and is polluting a nearby stream and lake.  The work itself is a large square that is surrounded by a tall fence.  Inside the fence is another fence that forms a large circle and is approximately waist high.  Inside the circle are paths that meet in the middle to form an X.  Planted within the circle are plants called hyperaccumulators. 

The hyperaccumulators in the work are able to pull heavy metals such as cadmium, zinc, and nickel from the ground in much higher amounts than traditional plants.  After the plants reach a certain size, they are harvested and dried.  The dried plants are then shipped to a facility where they go through a controlled burn.  The metals are then reclaimed and recycled for later use.  Chin combines science, art, and horticulture in order to create this work.

  Revival Field can be used in the classroom to push traditional boundaries of what students know about art.  Students can learn that art itself can be a tool for environmental change.  Artists don’t necessarily need to be talented in drawing or painting.  Chin’s art has the ability to help teach students that much of what is important about art is the meaning behind it.  This is particularly important as students move into higher grade levels and become increasingly self conscious about their ability to draw and paint.

To learn more about Chin's work, visit the PBS website for their series entitled Art: 21 by clicking here.