Aboriginal Customs Impact New Art Show [VIDEO]

Perma-culture - an agricultural system in which sustainability is achieved through renewable resources and diversity - is the driving force behind jo Russavage's art. A horticulturalist who spent 10 years in Australia with direct exposure to the customs and art of the Aborigines, Russavage attempts to apply perma-culture to all aspects of her life. She lived in Westborough for five years until 2009, when she moved to Manchester, New Hampshire.

Russavage's papers and textiles are featured in a new show, Perma-Culture that runs from July 22 through Sept. 12 at the Westboro Gallery. An opening reception was held on Friday, July 22 from 5 to 8 p.m. Over 20 wall pieces are available for purchase from $75 to $495. Greeting cards are $4 each.

Using a variety of techniques, Russavage's wall art is made with environmentally friendly materials and minimal waste. A cutout from one piece of art might become a featured element in another. Russavage told Westborough Patch, "I've been working on 40 pieces (of art) for the past 6 months, and I've only had one small piece of trash."

Her Life's Journey

Originally from Duryea, PA, home of Topps, the maker of Bazooka Joe Bubble Gum, Russavage started out on a traditional tract of school and work. She earned a BA in horticulture from Penn State, and an MBA from La Salle College in Pennsylvania. Russavage worked in the wholesale nursery business and in interior landscaping in New York City.

A six-month trip to Australia - five days after the Persian Gulf War began in 1990 - led Russavage to a ten-year adventure in the land down under. In Perth, bored with a traditional vacation, Russavage looked up a local interior landscaper through the Yellow Pages. This landscaper connected her with other professionals throughout her planned travel route.

These connections led to a job offer as a nursery production consultant in Darwin, the capital of Northern Territory, Australia. Russavage adjusted to the "monsoon tropical climate," and she eventually taught nursery production at Northern Territory University, which is now Charles Darwin University.

While in Darwin, Russavage trained in printmaking and fiber art at the university. An effort on the part of the school to expand its classes to the Aborigines led Russavage to the riches of their landscape. She focused on teaching the locals to grow renewal resources for their burgeoning production of their traditional art. Once there, she collected fiber and objects, and she learned how to use local vegetation to dye fabrics.

Her Technique

Russavage claims that she has a short attention span. She said, "I'm about texture and the relationship among materials. I might start with a landscape and come up with something abstract. Materials stimulate me and the process takes over my theme."

Starting out as a traditional quilt maker, Russavage once focused on blocks and patterns, altering only the color and fabric. She was drawn to art quilting, and she now considers herself a mixed media artist. Russavage works with fabric, paper and found objects.

Using a quilt as her canvas, Russavage applies an eco-friendly form of gesso, called Sludge, which gives her fabric more body and stiffness. Depending on her mood, she approaches this "canvas" with a variety of techniques of surface design. Stitching, painting, washing with dyes, paste paper, applying found objects and transferring digital images are among the techniques used by Russavage.

The Show

Evelyn Melancon, a guest at the Westboro Gallery's opening commented, "(All the pieces) are so different. This is one artist who can do more than one piece of art."

The variety of Russavage pieces is evident at the Westboro Gallery. Some are lyrical, like Care of People = Flossie, which portrays her grandmother. Others, like Use Edges & Value the Marginal, focus on the media and colors.

Use Edges… incorporates fabrics with selvaged edges, the unwoven ends of a fabric bolt. Using cheesecloth at its edges, this piece achieves a warm color palette through washes with soy ink, tea, walnut ink and coffee. Old wallpaper paste was used to create impressions of leaves. Images torn out of magazines complete the piece.

"For me, making art is about the process, not the journey of making it. It's about being in the moment and responding to the materials in the moment," said Russavage.

Beyond Art

Russavage moved back to the U.S. in 2001. She had been waiting for a flight from Newark to Australia when 9/11 happened. When all flights were cancelled, she decided to stay for good.

Outside of art, Russavage runs a horticultural consulting business, Birchwood Urban Permaculture.

"(I) try to do things in a more sustainable way, only doing green buildings, and trying to use domestic or fair trade organic products as much as possible," said Russavage. "I make a conscious choice to have a simple, less extravagant lifestyle so I don't have to compromise my beliefs about the right and wrong way to do business."

See the Show - , a non-profit cooperative, is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 3 p.m. The gallery is located at 8 West Main St. For more information, call 508-870-0110

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