A wonderful Malden-based group called "Coffee Shop Artists" pulled together an exhibition focusing on how artists are reacting our climate crisis. I was delighted to have two pieces chosen for the show. And I'm especially honored to have been interviewed for this exhibition by Malden's Fanuel Muindi. You can watch the video here. Golden Calf, 12x12 inches, glass and ceramic mosaic. $500. Beef is viewed by most of the U.S. as wholesome, healthy, and bucolic. It puts people in mind of flowering meadows, cows gently mooing, and calves gamobling about. Nothing could be further from the truth of the American agro-industrial beef industry, which is single-mindedly concentrated on making money--and as much of it as possible.
On average, beef production emits 2–9 times the greenhouse gases of other animal products, and more than 50 times the GHGs of most plant‐based foods per unit of protein. Beef production is also a major driver of global deforestation and land degradation. Globally, cattle produce almost 4/5 of total livestock GHG emissions, and methane contributes more than a third of total livestock CO2 emissions. Almost all of these emissions are produced by large agro-industrial activities. My golden calf's body is divided into sections identified by logos of the Big 4 meat processing companies controlling the US market. She stands in a small box inside a sterile concrete barn with almost no access to natural light, the outdoors, or any of the activities that cows evolved to do. She will soon be slaughtered for food. Comments are closed.
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AuthorSusan Altman: Mosaicist, Community Artist, Writer/Editor Archives
April 2025
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