Although we might like to compartmentalize life, it really can’t be divided by categories. One part overlaps the other and the lines get blurred. Art does a good job of blurring those lines even further. Subjects and skills tend to run together. For example, knowledge of ancient mythology helps us better understand classical Greek sculptures or Roman mosaics. We use math skills to compute how much canvas is needed for a painting. We need technological skills to work with digital images on a computer. It’s science skills that teach us which colors are created by mixing paints. Is a good dinner simply nutritious, or is it a work of art by the chef? Are spring flowers simply the result of weather change, or does their beauty make us smile after a long winter? I recently heard about two very different blurring of the lines, both involving art in interesting ways.

As we celebrate Earth Day this month, we’re especially mindful of the environment. So, when I heard about Bill and Julie Newberry’s latest project, I was intrigued by its connection to art. Bill and Julie are artists who work in wood, creating beautiful indoor and outdoor furniture and kitchen accessories, mostly from reclaimed cypress as well as locally urban-harvested and milled hardwoods. You may know them from area art shows. When an empty lot in Richmond Heights went up for sale, the Newberry’s saw a way to blur the line between art and the environment. “Wood is our canvas,” Julie told me. “It’s what we’re all about.” So, the lot took on a new life as they began to build an environmentally-minded 2-family villa.

“The building is Arts-and-Crafts in style,” said Bill, “but definitely ‘green.’ Geothermal heating and cooling, with no exterior air conditioning equipment, a shingled roof with conduit for future renewable wind or solar energy, permanent insulated concrete forms (ICF) for an impressive R42 energy rating are just a few of the features that show these artists’ concern for the environment. “The timber-framed front porches are made of recycled wood from an old barn,” Bill noted. “All of the trees which had to be cleared from the lot were milled and used for trimwork and some flooring.” And, yes, Bill did the woodwork himself. He plans to move his art studio onsite when he and Julie take up residence in the new building.

As construction progressed, bits of glass and other treasures kept surfacing on the lot. “Garbage from the 1920’s,” Bill said. But Julie saw it as something else. Collecting the pieces, she viewed them as artwork in the rough. The repurposed pieces are now set in concrete, to serve as windowsills for the new building.

Even the exterior brick shows the Newberry’s concern for sustainability: the clay was mined nearby in Illinois and the bricks made by Richards Brick Company, right in St. Louis. The garden will include a retention pond for rainwater runoff, with plants specifically chosen to keep the water clean. Impressive!

To view the construction process, visit www.newberrygreenhomes.com.

Sometimes, it seems that art and business skills are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Boomerang Press has merged those two abilities, with a generous portion of social concern thrown in as well. Described as a social enterprise venture of St. Louis ArtWorks, the group was recently awarded a grant of $150,000 from Youthbridge Community Foundation to expand their innovative career-in-the-arts program.

“Boomerang Press focuses on producing commissioned art for greeting cards, posters and other printed materials, designed by paid apprentices who are teenagers residing in the St. Louis metropolitan area,” according to Priscilla Block, Executive Director for St. Louis ArtWorks. “The goal of Boomerang Press is to support ArtWorks’ mission of providing paid work experience through these apprenticeships in the arts for at-risk youth in St. Louis.”

Entering its thirteenth season of summer employment in the arts for St. Louis area teens and artists, St. Louis ArtWorks employs over 150 youth and 12 artists, with Boomerang Press providing work experience in the arts for up to 14 apprentices. ArtWorks seeks students who show artistic talent, but who also have barriers to success, usually low family income or below-grade level testing. Through the arts, these students find avenues for their creativity and learn the business skills needed to achieve success. For more info about this impressive program, please visit www.stlartworks.org.