It’s rare to see any sort of age-old trades kept vitalized for a long-term period anymore. One could say Eugene is an exception in certain areas with its notable glassblowing, brewing and art communities.
In a capitalist economy, however, such trades have all but been extinguished from communal life. Artist Jen Van Winkle sees things differently.
The artist, whose exhibit is currently under construction in the Interactive Discovery Gallery at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, wants to bring a focus to arts once seen as necessary repositories of culture and community. Mix that with an emphasis on sustainability and recycled materials, which plays off the museum’s main exhibit, Chris Jordan’s “Running the Numbers,” and you have a fully interactive and educational “Forest of REPAIR-ations.”
Van Winkle’s forest isn’t fully constructed just yet, but that’s the catch — it’s going to take a community banding around this art to finish it.
The artist, known for her collaborative work, has already enlisted the assistance of three different University art classes, North Eugene High School, multiple middle and elementary school classes and even a senior’s organization to help. Van Winkle’s work is all site specific, and the state’s “think green” philosophy has made quite the impression on the artist.
“I grew up in the Midwest where I would think of a forest as the 20 trees on the edge of a cornfield. I eventually moved to Virginia, and then I thought I knew what a forest was, but most of Virginia is all second, third, fourth growth. Coming here, I’d never seen a Douglas fir before,” Van Winkle said.
Van Winkle had a few preliminary visits out to Eugene in the fall. She found the forests here to be unlike any she’d seen elsewhere. She also found Oregon’s environmental commitment very commending.
Between her collaboration with BRING recycling, MECCA (Materials Exchange Center for Community Arts) and artist Chris Jordan’s current exhibit that features themes of over consumption and waste, the artist has been able to draw from the multifaceted dynamics of the Eugene community. 
“My intent for the project is that we create something magical,” Van Winkle said. “It’s more about letting the natural environment seep through. But the other message and point that I’m interested in is thinking about how much do we individually consume and then of course the ramifications culturally.”
This is where one can draw a direct connection between her exhibit and Jordan’s. The materials used are nearly all reclaimed, reconstituted or recycled in some way.
“I’m both fascinated and repelled by the amount of personal waste,” Van Winkle said.
Similar to Jordan’s exhibit, Van Winkle explores waste and consumption implicitly in her materials and challenges visitors not only to think about these issues, but to physically participate in constructing and adding to the exhibit. Visitors are encouraged to contribute by making leaves (with on-site materials) and placing them around the installation.
“Jen Van Winkle uses that same idea of being able to have a concept of waste, over-consumerism,” said Lisa Abia-Smith, director of outreach and education at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. “I think we all learn better by doing and by giving the visitors the opportunity to make a leaf out of recycled paper, to physically walk through her forest. It’s going to resonate; it’s going to click.”
Opening day isn’t until March 12, but as of Tuesday, the exhibit is open to students who want to lend a hand with construction or simply just come to view.
Van Winkle’s concept of communal contribution is rooted in the philosophy of art as being a gift to leave for others’ enjoyment. The exhibit, which runs through August, looks to stimulate community and bring those old, forgotten arts and trades back to prominence by fostering a sense of community and togetherness.
“Another hope that I have is that I make friends and that other people make friends, and I think these all sound very simplistic, but I think it’s really important,” Van Winkle said.
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