On view March 28 - April 26, 2026
Opening Reception Sunday, March 29, 2026, 1-4 pm
Sandra Hansen creates water scenes with pure, sustainable handmade paper and repurposed plastics found decaying on the beaches. Paper and plastics are the natural and the unnatural, the life giver and the life destroyer, and the dichotomy of life and death. Often the two are mixed together, like microscopic plastics in our drinking water. Hansen’s art is about life or death. As the environmental crisis grows larger, so does Hansen’s art. Her new installation is an undersea universe with paper sea creatures wearing ropes and fishing nets like scarves and capes caught on their flippers and necks. Her largest piece is a life-sized humpback paper whale that hangs from the ceiling. Fishing nets made from plastic bags cascade from the ceiling and walls. A paper dolphin and a paper sea turtle glide through the paper sea.
Hansen became an environmental artist in 2014 after an environmental disaster in Lake Erie killed thousands of fish. Her research alarmed her as she learned about plastics getting into the drinking water and fish' stomachs, and harming the fish. She switched from oil painting to paper making and began making large papers to explain the immensity of the issue. Many of the papers included beach plastics. Hansen’s papers grew to 16 feet, then to a 38 foot, life-size humpback whale. Hansen’s work evolved into an installation with lighting, sound, and movement, where viewers are engulfed in an underwater-like space with paper sea creatures caught in plastic. Hansen has found that leading workshops and talks about her art allows her to inform others about the dangers of plastic.
GALLERY HOURS & VISITOR INFORMATION
This exhibition will be held in the Atrium Gallery on the Second Floor of the Evanston Art Center (EAC). Masks are optional but strongly recommended for students, visitors, and staff.
Gallery Hours
Monday–Thursday: 9am–6pm
Friday: 9am–5pm
Saturday–Sunday: 9am–4pm
HOW TO PURCHASE ARTWORK
Artwork sale proceeds benefit both the artist and the Evanston Art Center. If you are interested in purchasing artwork on display, please contact Emma Rose Gudewicz, Director of Development and Exhibitions, at [email protected] or (847) 475-5300 x 102.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Image Credits: Sandra Hansen