“Art moves people.”
-Jill Drllevich, Founder, Blades of Change
Elder Legacy Project
Visual Legacies at ERA Living University House
Wallingford, Seattle
Seattle-based artist, Tom Gormally created a new nuclear sculpture, working with University House Wallingford resident Gerry Garvey (January 21, 1935 — November 14, 2024), entitled Metaphorical Portrait of Gerry Garvey. This piece was created to celebrate the life of Gerry Garvey, a well-known nuclear physicist.
The work was displayed as part of the “Visual Biographies” exhibition which pairs local artists with senior ERA living residents to create visual biographies, capturing their life journeys and wisdom. This exhibition was curated by June Sekiguchi and opened on October 9, 2024.
Artist, Gormally and Gerry's wife, Doris Garvey with Tom's nuclear sculpture in Seattle, 2024.
Upcoming, Current and Past Projects
Blades of Change nuclear artist initiative loves to connect with communities through art!
Do you have a venue or idea for collaboration? Please contact us, we would love to meet you!
““On March 1, 1954, the United States government dropped the Bravo bomb—the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated by the U.S.—on Bikini Atoll within the Marshall Islands. The Bravo detonation was the equivalent of more than 1,000 Hiroshima-sized bombs. March 1 is a national day of mourning for the Marshallese, it is a day when people gather to reflect and remember those whose lives were lost, but also to address the issues that continue to impact the Marshallese today.” ”
Marshallese Nuclear Day of Remembrance
Friday, March 1-Sunday March 3, 2024
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
4303 Memorial Way NE
Seattle, WA, United States
(On the campus of the University of Washington)
Live Pandanus weaving/nuclear fan blade found object sculpture creation with Marshallese master weaver, Emma Joran inside the Burke Museum Art Studio.
Peoples Choice Award Winner!
City of Auburn, Washington
Downtown Sculpture Gallery 2022-2023
Blades of Change presents “Breathe Deep: Raven Moon”
Reclaimed nuclear cooling tower blade
By Jill Drllevich and Craig Breitbach
Blades of Change founder and artist, Jill Drllevich speaks with Mayor Nancy Backus of the city of Auburn, Washington about her nuclear sculpture on her podcast!
“The Birth of Memory”
by Lauren Iida
Reclaimed nuclear fan blade, cut paper (2022)
Carbon
Group Exhibition
The Vestibule
September 8 - October 15, 2022
“Artwork gathered here memorializes carbon loss, recycles material to avoid further loss, and creates objects that will outlast the commercial material around it. Carbon appears as petroleum in plastic, in concrete as power use, as sequestered and released in trees, as avoided through wind power. The work inquires into the future foisted on new generations and offers a meditative focus needed to face this challenge.”
Seattle Art Fair 2022
“Persistence,” a reclaimed nuclear sculpture by Seattle artist, Joy Hagen was showcased at the 2022 Seattle Art Fair at Lumen Field with Studio 103 Gallery.
Blades of Change:
The Tipping Point
An Unconventional Nuclear Art Exhibition
“Blades of Change: The Tipping Point” exhibition opening reception at FOGUE Studios March 2022
(GEORGETOWN) SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
MARCH 12 - APRIL 23, 2022
With live music by Zan Fiskum and artist talks by participating artists
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Local artist and lifelong environmental activist, Jill Drllevich presents an innovative group art exhibition which brings new life to upcycled nuclear fan blades. Each 200 pound, five-and-a-half-foot-tall fiberglass blade serves as a blank canvas for visual artists of various mediums including painting, sculpture, textile, ceramic.
Each piece is unique but Drllevich’s curation asks each artist to respond to the theme of “The Tipping Point,” expanding the obvious environmental angle of this body of work into something much more personal, as participating artist, Lauren Iida states, “This new found object sculpture of mine speaks about a ‘tipping point’ in my life, the arrival of my first child.”
This is just the first iteration of “Blades of Change,” an ongoing passion project of Drllevich’s who still has more than 200 untouched blades waiting in the wings.
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Participating artists:
Nuclear sculpture by Colleen Monette at FOGUE
Interactive nuclear sculpture at FOGUE March 2022