Chris Jordan's "Light Bulbs," 2008 (image zoomed to show detail)

Gary Faigin's Art Reviews: Running the Numbers

10/15/2009

Every year in the U.S., one hundred million trees are cut down for the production of junk mail. It's hard to wrap your head around statistics like that. But Seattle artist Chris Jordan illustrates this number with a hundred million toothpicks in the image of a wheat field. Chris Jordan has won international acclaim for his socially–conscious artwork. Now, local viewers have their first chance to see a large collection of Jordan's work in person at an exhibition at the Pacific Science Center. Today, critic Gary Faigin joins us to share why this exhibit has artistic merit, even without the larger message.