Have a big blank wall in a green building but don’t know what to do with

it? The social and environmental values underlying green buildings are spurring innovation in art. A great example is the Mangrove Wall at the Miami Science Museum. Conceived by artist Xavier Cortada, the wall began with volunteers collecting mangrove seedlings. The seedlings were placed in plastic cups attached to the wall with binder clips and left to grow. They will be replanted by another group of volunteers to create a mangrove forest.  The visual display makes me think of all the volunteers who came together to collect the seedlings as well as those who will come together to plant them and enrich the eco-system. It’s beautiful and inspirational, a lovely extension of the ideals behind green building. The

Museum’s president, Gillian Thomas, said they plan to include a focus on artists whose work relates to the environment at the new facility being built on Biscayne Bay in Bicentennial Park, and Xavier Cortada is a very likely candidate. The new museum with its aquarium and “living core” will go beyond LEED certification and embody green principles at every level.

Posted by Peyton White Lumpkin, The Lumpkin Law Firm P.A.