Imagination & Environmental Stewardship Converge with Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful’s "Art in Motion"

DULUTH, Ga. - May 2, 2014 - PRLog -- On May 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., dozens of volunteers will gather on the banks of Bromolow Creek in Duluth for an “Art in Motion – Great Gwinnett Stream Cleanup” event.  Initiated by Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources, the event will serve as an ultimate show of the power of recycling. Many of the objects collected throughout the day will be inventoried and repurposed for inclusion in future art projects at the Hudgens Center for the Arts. A major advocate for environmentalism, the Hudgens Center is currently playing host to the environmentally focused Pam Longobardi solo exhibition “What Once Was Lost Must Now Be Found: Chronicling Crimes Against Nature” – on display now through June 28, 2014.

“We are very excited about the upcoming stream cleanup event,” explains Connie Wiggins, Executive Director for Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful. “I could not dream of a better way to demonstrate the essence of re-purposing than to partner with the Hudgens Center for the Arts in such a meaningful way. I encourage Gwinnett County citizens to not only volunteer to take part in the May 17 event, but to also visit the Longobardi exhibition during its run. It serves as a powerful reminder of how we are harming our oceans, rivers and lakes – one piece of litter at a time. It’s vital that we realize that – beyond refraining from littering – we need to act as stewards of our local creeks, streams and waterways. These are living bodies of water that sustain life for all of us – we should want to take responsibility for them.”

To volunteer for the “Art in Motion – Great Gwinnett Stream Cleanup” event at Bromolow Creek, individuals and groups can register online at www.GwinnettCB.org. Volunteers will meet at 9 a.m. sharp on May 17 at the parking lot in front of Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful’s offices – located at 4300 Satellite Boulevard in Duluth. For safety reasons, volunteers are required to wear close-toed shoes, long pants, and clothing that they will not mind getting wet and dirty. Gloves and trash bags will be provided, but participants may bring their own.

In addition to its devotion to serving as an educator and advocate for the environment, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful has long been an avid supporter of the arts. Each year, awards for its Environmental Consciousness and Stewardship Dinner are designed by artists who work with recycled materials. Beyond taking part in the clean up event on May 17 and visiting the Longobardi exhibition at the Hudgens Center, Wiggins encourages individual families, small businesses, local churches and schools, neighborhoods and civic organizations to Adopt-A-Stream through Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful. Gwinnett citizens can also protect local waterways by taking part in the Storm Drain Stenciling Program, volunteering for on-going shore sweeps and waterway cleanup events through Georgia Rivers Alive, and finding out how to reuse, recycle or properly dispose of household chemicals from the Recycle Now Page on the Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful website (http://www.gwinnettcb.org/volunteer/recycle/).

About Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful:  Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful Services, Inc. (GCB) is an award-winning 501(c)3 charitable organization that boasts an expansive community-based network dedicated to finding long term solutions to environmental and quality of life issues through individual action. The organization is guided by a 55-member Citizens Advisory Board that represents all sectors of the Gwinnett County community. A nationally recognized leader in creating cleaner, greener and more livable communities throughout Gwinnett, GCB involves more than 100,000 volunteers annually to help prevent litter and graffiti, recycle and reduce waste, and increase environmental awareness. To learn more about Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and its programs, aspiring environmental stewards are invited to visit www.GwinnettCB.org.

About Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources:  Widely recognized as a publicly-owned utility of the highest caliber through a commitment to and demonstration of operations and customer service excellence, the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources seeks to enhance quality of life by providing excellent water, wastewater, and storm water services at the best possible value to its customers while preserving natural water resources.

About The Hudgens Center for the Arts:  The Hudgens Center is a non-profit organization that has been focused on the arts since its establishment in 1981.  The Hudgens’ mission is to bring art lovers, leaders and learners together through quality programs and exhibits.  That mission is accomplished through visual arts initiatives, such as year round fine art exhibits and classes for all ages, and community arts initiatives, which reach out to underserved populations. The Hudgens Center for the Arts is located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Bldg. 300, in Duluth, in the Gwinnett Center complex.  For more information about art exhibits, events and classes at the Hudgens, please visit the website at www.thehudgens.org or call 770-623-6002.

About Artist Pam Longobardi:  Pam Longobardi has had over 40 solo exhibitions and 65 group exhibitions in galleries and museums in the US, China, Italy, Spain, Finland, Poland, Japan and elsewhere. Her artworks are in numerous collections, including commissions for Benziger Winery, the Hyatt Corporation, the Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport, Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Facility and First Tennessee Bank, Memphis.  In 2005 Longobardi was named recipient of Georgia State University’s Outstanding Faculty Achievement Award, where she is Professor of Art.  She created the Drifters Project in 2006, addressing global plastic pollution and the changing ocean. Working solo or with communities, she has made scores of interventions, cleaning beaches of plastic all over the world, removing thousands of pounds of material from the natural environment and re-situating it within the cultural context. In 2013, she was awarded the prestigious $50,000 Hudgens Prize. Longobardi currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia.