Carol Sogard
Carol Sogard is an American artist living in Salt Lake City, Utah. Born in Detroit Michigan she studied Graphic Design at Michigan State University. After working in advertising in Detroit, she moved to Utah obtain an MFA in Graphic Design at the University of Utah. Her primary research interest relates to sustainable design. Her design work and textile art has been honored and published by the AIGA, How Books, Print Magazine, Rockport Publishers, Utah Division of Arts & Museums, as well as exhibited in galleries nationwide. Since 1999, she has served as Associate Professor of Graphic Design in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Utah. She believes it is essential to teach today’s student about how to use their creative abilities to create positive change in the world.
Whether working for clients or engaged in creative research projects, the work she creates addresses the need for more sustainable solutions to problems. In 2006, upon seeing a National Geographic image of an Albatross carcass filled with plastic waste, she began to re-think her role as a designer. Because brand promotion is an integral part of the graphic arts, designers are ultimately responsible for the creation of an over-consumptive population. Her work attempts to shed light on the environmental impacts of plastic trash in the hopes of encouraging consumers to think differently about their habits of consumption.
American. Based in Salt Lake City, UT.
Available Works
Plastic Poufs Installation, 2011
SCULPTURE
Artist: Carol Sogard
Dimensions: 4’ x 9’ x 5’
Materials: Fused plastic grocery and newspaper bags.
About: Through the process of fusing and sewing material made from collected plastic bags, these works explore the use of plastic as product rather than simply a by-product of our daily habit of consumption. The lightweight, beach ball-like, soft, brightly colored poufs inevitably attract children who want to play with them; yet ironically serve as a symbol of what we find in our oceans and on beaches around the world.
Proceeds Benefit: 50% of net proceeds from the sale of this work will be donated to the Algalita Marine Research and Education.
Price: $6,000 USD
(Price does not include shipping or installation costs.)
Stop, 2014
WALL RELIEF
Artist: Carol Sogard
Dimensions: 35” x 35” x 4”
Materials: Reclaimed plastic bags.
About: According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags are consumed in the U.S. each year. Even with a dedicated effort to recycle, the alarmingly high rate of consumption far surpasses the benefits recycling can offer. Plastic will never biodegrade and will survive for centuries in landfills. It breaks up into tiny little pieces that contaminate soil, pollute our oceans and endangers species. Through the process of collecting and working with reclaimed plastic bags as my fiber, these works explore the use of plastic as product rather than simply a by-product of our daily habit of consumption.
Proceeds Benefit: 50% of net proceeds from the sale of this work will be donated to the Algalita Marine Research and Education.
Price: $3,000 USD
(Price does not include shipping or installation costs.)
Flotsam, 2014
WALL RELIEF
Artist: Carol Sogard
Dimensions: 12” x 11.75”
Materials: Reclaimed, heat fused plastic bags.
Proceeds Benefit: 100% of net proceeds from the sale of this work will be donated to the Algalita Marine Research and Education.
Price: $400 USD
(Price does not include shipping or installation costs.)
For purchasing, high resolution images or other details, please contact c.sogard@art.utah.edu
To learn more about Carol Sogard, please visit www.CarolSogard.com