It wasn't too long ago that seeing more than one green artist in a given exhibition was as rare as finding a parking spot in Times Square. That's why we were excited to see not one, not two but a whole slew of talented eco-minded artists gathered at the Fair Folks & a Goat gallery on the Upper East Side for an exhibit entitled "Leaf // Cloud: Nature Tangible and Transcendent." Curated by Alicia Lubowski-Jahn, the thought-provoking group show highlighted the beauty of recycled and sustainable materials and showed how versatile and varied eco-conscious art can be. Above, Susan Benarcik's "A Natural Pattern" made of dress tissue, wire and feathers.

The full-house lineup celebrated the UN’s World Environment Day (June 5), which focused on the theme “Forests: Nature at Your Service” for 2011. In keeping with this idea, each of the works displayed was created with the preservation of the environment in mind and demonstrates earth-friendly and socially-responsible design. The show included work by artists and designers like Trey Speegle, Dana Matthews, Susan Benarcik, Liz Burow, Lilian Cooper, Clemens Kois, John Patrick, Patrick Winfield, Fernando and Humberto Campana, Kevin Cunningham, Emiliano Godoy, Stewart Webb, Stéphane Hubert, Daniel Michalik, and Colleen and Eric Whiteley, all of whom went the extra step to use recycled, vintage or sustainably sourced materials to create the art they presented.

The cream of the eco-fashion crop also made an appearance at the space in the form of a special green fashion trunk show on the opening night curated by Kate McGregor of Kaight. Abigail Doan, Sono Kuwayama, Fr. Andrew O’Connor, Kizzy Jai Knight, Marcus Hicks, Ceca Georgieva, Meiling Chen, and Melissa Kirgan and XZ of Eko-Lab repped eco fashion to the fullest with their knotted and knitted sculptures, sustainably dyed garments and recycled accessories.

+ Fair Folks & a Goat