Meet Karen Riley | Environmental Artist/Activist & Executive Director, S.C.R.A.P. Gallery

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karen Riley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karen, how does your business help the community?
At S.C.R.A.P. Gallery, we believe in and are committed to making the world a better place. It’s as simple as that as a concept, but more complicated in execution, in that I mean by letting people know that everyone can and should be part of creating change for the better. It’s about creating, inspiring, communicating, and activating programs and projects that help our environment.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I cut, tear, glue, paint, and layer elements of text, objects, and color. This is my way of fashioning together the unusual and predictable to challenge what is happening to and threatening our environment.

I am attracted to creative methods of conveying truth. Imagery and communication are vital. Not just indicators that are graphically obvious with instructions, price checks, or information, but also the ciphers and symbols in life and art that give alternative directions and confirm just paths. What is the meaning, and where do I find it? What is right and fair?

I think that we are all artists and have the right to communicate, share, color, and live through it. I really believe art can save the world; we just have to champion it in our lives, in our schools, and in our politics.

I am also the Executive Director and a founder of S.C.R.A.P. Gallery (Student Creative Recycle Art Program), an environmental arts education program where I get to work across all art media. Since 1997, S.C.R.A.P. Gallery has been addressing two of today’s most urgent issues – the environment and the education of youth throughout the Coachella Valley and beyond. The essence of S.C.R.A.P. Gallery is captured in the Four R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Responsibility. I am very proud of the fact that S.C.R.A.P. Gallery is an award-winning program recognized as an Outstanding Organization by the North American Association of Environmental Education.

When I first started talking to people about S.C.R.A.P., they thought this was a crazy concept. We would talk to businesses and some manufacturers about their trash, and see what they were generating, and take it before it ended up in a landfill. We saw these as great materials for creating art. It took some convincing, followed by actually showing the results were successful, creative, and educational. Some people got it, some didn’t, but that really didn’t stop me. It still doesn’t stop me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would start with an early morning hike – this is the desert, afterall. We would bring an empty bag, just in case we find some cool materials that can be repurposed and don’t grow naturally. Why? Because we are going to create something with them when we get to S.C.R.A.P. Gallery. We would also tour some of the galleries around S.C.R.A.P. in Cathedral City, especially popping in to see Bill Schinsky, Executive Director of Coachella Valley Art Projects. We would also head to the La Quinta Museum to see some amazing local artwork. At LQM, you can also see The Spider Woman, a collaborative exhibit by S.C.R.A.P. Gallery and the Arts Division of the Riverside County Office of Education, featuring over 100 works by students inspired by the work of Louise Bourgeois.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are quite a few who consistently support, encourage, and help me succeed. I would absolutely give a shout-out to two amazing colleagues – Deanna Pressgrove, Environmental Conservation &Public Works Manager for the City of Cathedral City, and Louisa Higgins, artist, poet, and feminista.

Website: https://scrapgallery.org

Instagram: @scrapgallery, @karenriley11

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-riley-2828257/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scrapgallery