The Living Colors: The Beauty of Change exhibition, hosted at the solar-powered Koubal Gallery, is a celebration of regenerative artistry and sustainable innovation. Created by Lara Cornell, a visionary artist and sustainability advocate, the show features over 60 handmade paints crafted entirely from food waste, creating a visually stunning rainbow of over 540 colors. These living pigments evolve over time, inviting visitors to witness the beauty of change and impermanence throughout the exhibit.
Lara Cornell, known for her expertise in sustainable design and regenerative practices, brings her philosophy of merging art with environmental stewardship to this groundbreaking exhibit. With a deep commitment to circular design and nature-inspired innovation, her work challenges the industrialized norms of art-making and offers a vision of creativity rooted in ecological health and resilience.
Set against the stunning natural backdrop of the Minnesota River National Wildlife Refuge, the Living Colors exhibition connects art, agriculture, and sustainability in a way that inspires meaningful change. Visitors are invited to explore the vibrant possibilities of food waste as a sustainable alternative to traditional art supplies, while reflecting on the interconnectedness of humans and nature.
Overall, the exhibition raises the following questions:
Imagine a world where sustainability is the foremost priority in art and design, placing both humanity and our biosphere at the absolute center. What if we truly embraced change as an inherently beautiful process, rather than something that diminishes value—a notion that also applies to us as humans? Perhaps it's time to fundamentally rethink color and our entire relationship with it. What kind of art practice could emerge if it were entirely free from reliance on petroleum-derived products or their byproducts?
Special Collaborations:
Experience a unique art installation, reflecting on acrylic paints, a special collaboration with Chowgirls. Complementing the exhibit, Savor will provide food and refreshments, featuring a menu thoughtfully inspired by the art's exploration of food waste.
Art Activity:
Lara will bring some of her food waste paints and charcoals for you to try out while you are at the gallery!
Special Insider Notes from Lara:
For this show, I used 61 food waste materials to make colors and ended up with over 540 colors which will be showcased although at least a dozen more were tested and were not chosen for this show for various reasons.
“Food waste” was considered:
Food that is overripe, dried out, or past its expiration date
Items left in the fridge or freezer for too long and forgotten
Leftovers from events
Unused food scraps or parts that are usually thrown away
Plant trimmings typically discarded at the end of the season (especially relevant now as fall approaches)
Food gifted to me by others that they didn’t enjoy or wouldn’t eat and were planning to discard
In the creation of the work I also tried to make as many sustainable decisions as possible:
- Pots/pans/funnels/etc to make the paints came from Goodwill or surplus stores, or were donated to me
- Canning jars (I needed A LOT) were given to me from my neighborhood Buy Nothing group.
- Papers are made from 100% recycled cotton from the garment industry.
- Large Canvases are canvases the artists already had on hand (instead of buying “new”) and were needed to keep the papers stable in this particular gallery environment. The design of the art was intentional so the canvases can be reused after this show, potentially many times.
Main Sustainable Design Strategies used:
Sourcing Responsibly
Diverse Economies (all the examples above)
Design for Reuse (papers are stitched to canvas and can be removed. Canvases can be reused)
Design for Compostability (papers can be composted as there are no synthetics or petroleum-derived products used). Threads can eventually be composted as they are 100% cotton, and the dyes used have no synthetics or petroleum-derived products. Silk scarves created can eventually be composted as they are 100% silk, and the dyes used have no synthetics or petroleum-derived products.
The show also addresses the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 6, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15
