Waves of Change is an online interview series highlighting the diverse faces and perspectives shaping the environmental justice movement throughout the Great Lakes region.
For Earth Month, we spoke with Halima Afi Cassells, an award-winning interdisciplinary community-engaged artist, mom of three and avid gardener with deep roots in Waawiiyaataanong also known as Detroit, Michigan.
“We have to think of nature as a being that we’re not separate from, that does have unalienable rights,” Cassells said. “Not just as a thing that we are to extract from for our own consumption and comfort.”
Listen to the full interview:
She said her work is kind of like looking at her life as a series of art projects.
“It’s less about what is made and more about what conversations are had, what are we doing in the moment,” Cassells said. “There are a lot of projects that change year to year but also respond to the season, what we need in that moment and what materials we want to use that are from sources we are saving from the landfill.”
Among her works are collages using magazines or found materials that challenge the notion of disposability by revealing hidden beauty and meaning in discarded objects.
“Nothing is disposable. Growing up, that’s what I got to see.” she said. “Now, there’s just such a disconnect between what we consume and what we know how to make or repair.”
Learn more about the featured projects and organizations:
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
Alberto Rey: Art all about Earth
Nibi Chronicles: A portal to the Burt Lake Band’s violent expulsion
Featured image: Halima Afi Cassells. (Photo by Marsha Music)
