Arts & Culture

Zeng Yijia’s design won first place.

Images courtesy Liyuan Liu

Art studio helps artists protect the environment

By Angel St. George

Published 12:51 PST, Wed February 2, 2022

Last Updated: 12:56 PST, Tue February 15, 2022

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Liyuan Liu created Richmond’s Visual Arts Academy in 2011 with the goal of encouraging art students to expand their knowledge, practice a variety of techniques and develop their own professional art portfolios.

To celebrate the school’s 10th anniversary, Liu organized a tote bag design contest in response to the new single-use plastic ban taking effect in the city of Richmond on March 27.

City staff estimate that more than 35 million plastic checkout bags, plastic straws, foam cups and containers are disposed of in Richmond each year. In 2022, the city has decided to make its environmental impact an urgent matter, requiring residents to opt for reusable bags that are machine washable and can withstand over 100 uses.

The average Canadian uses 200 to 300 bags each year, so in theory using reusable bags could reduce that number to just three bags per year. A cotton bag made of 100 per cent natural fibre is durable and lightweight. It also has a relatively low environmental impact when discarded into the environment.

While Richmondites transition to more environmentally conscious practices, it is essential that members of the community take action in their own ways to create alternatives to single-use plastic bags. That’s where Liu’s tote bag competition fits in.

For Liu, what matters most is that her students know the environment belongs to them and is an important part of their future. The plastic ban, happening in conjunction with the COVID-19 pandemic, has been worrisome for people who are struggling financially. Liu wanted to find a way to show that hard times can also provide a way to spread positivity in the community.

Liu believes that art can be used to express a desire to protect the environment. She also sees her tote bag design contest as a way to battle some of the mental health impacts of pandemic lockdowns. People have been increasingly anxious about communing with each other during the pandemic and Liu wants to encourage people to see that there are many ways we can express ourselves through art.

“We still have other ways to communicate with each other. Reach out to friends and family and design art together. Art can help change people’s perspectives and remind us to be grateful for the little things,” she says.

The contest was organized and evaluated by Visual Arts Academy, YKLM Company, and Rise Media. The prestigious lineup of judges included revered oil painter Xue Yanqun, well-recognized Chinese painter Xu Yiwen, designer of space installations Chen Yi, and art teachers from some Richmond and Vancouver high schools.

The judges carefully selected the winners that best represented the ideas of living in harmony with nature and inspiring people to protect their natural resources and ecological environment.

Among the winners are three Richmond students, with 14-year-old Richmond Secondary School student Zeng Yijia taking home first place honours. Two Steveston-London students were recognized in third place: 14-year-old Michelle Wang and 17-year-old Patrick Yang.

An awards ceremony will be held at the Lipont Gallery on April 23. The winners will participate in an artistic exchange activity with audience members.

Support Visual Arts Academy by visiting their website vaaedu.com to purchase a reusable bag decorated with one of these inspiring works of art or to make a donation.

Patrick Yang was one of three third place winners.

Michelle Wang was one of three third place winners.