More Art, Less Plastic: A Conversation with Innovative Environmentalists

In conjunction with the Los Angeles presentation of Robin Frohardt’s The Plastic Bag Store installation and film , we invite you discover two Los Angeles-based trailblazers in the battle against single-use plastics: Sheila Morovati, founder of Crayon Collection and Habits of Waste, and Marcus Eriksen, co-founder of 5 Gyres and LEAP LAB. Their organizations have helped to realize policy change through actions anchored in art and education.

This conversation will be moderated by Asuka Hisa, Director of Learning and Engagement, Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (ICA LA)

Dr. Marcus Eriksen is a writer, veteran, and the co-founder of 5 Gyres, an institute studying plastic pollution world-wide. He is also the co-founder of LEAP LAB, a science center researching and forging the path toward urban resilience. His current book is Junk Raft: An Ocean Voyage and a Rising Tide of Activism to Fight Plastic Pollution (Beacon, 2017). He received his Ph.D in Science Education from the University of Southern California.

Sheila Michail Morovati is the founder of both Crayon Collection and Habits of Waste. Crayon Collection is a nationally recognized organization that redirects gently used crayons from restaurant chains toward crayon-based art education programs in under-resourced communities. Habits of Waste advocates for a more eco-conscious society and activates collective behavioral change with effective campaigns against single-use plastics. She received her BA in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Public programs for The Plastic Bag Store are made possible through generous support from The Bar-Zemer Family and UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance.