On Feb. 2, Eckert Art Gallery, located inside the Winter Visual & Performing Arts Center, 60 W. Cottage Ave., Millersville, opened a new exhibition titled "Sustainable Studios." The exhibition features work from multiple artists and across several mediums. Each piece explores the topic of sustainability and how it can be applied to creating art, both in subject matter and the materials used by artists.

"Sustainable Studios" features work from Nichole van Beek, Silas McDonough, Jill Good and Samantha Sanders. The showcase began with an artist talk from van Beek on opening night, in which she elaborated on how she practices environmental activism with her work. Van Beek moved away from using plastic-based paints such as acrylics and began researching biologically based ink in an effort to reduce the waste produced by her work. Van Beek also began abstaining from the use of concrete and other environmentally impactful materials in her sculptures.

The idea of sustainability not only is applied to how the artists featured in "Sustainable Studios" create art, but also influences how they view it. "It's sort of the opposite of what artists are taught in school," said gallery curator Heidi Lietzke. "We're taught how to make our paintings correctly so that they last forever. (Van Beek) proposes that if she makes artwork that won't last forever, then she makes space for the next generation of artists and challenges the status quo."

Good, of Lancaster, is a textile and fabric artist who has been making quilts since she was a child, and she explores variations of traditional quilt patterns through her work. For her work that is featured in "Sustainable Studios," Good modified the hourglass pattern used in traditional quilts by deconstructing the shape as a way to express the idea of time. She addresses the sustainability of art in her life and how she balances creating it with other day-to-day activities. Good also addresses the literal sustainability of her work by using repurposed materials such as clothing and seed sacks to make the quilts.

McDonough, of Philadelphia, shared with Lietzke that his environmental concern and depictions of it were borne from his love of a particular landscape. McDonough grew to love the place where he was raised and began to appreciate the specialness of the environment due to his fondness for that specific location. "I thought it would resonate with people (in Lancaster). We have such beautiful landscapes; it's the idea of people coming to care about sustainability through the love of a particular environment," said Lietzke.

"Sustainable Studios" will be at Eckert Art Gallery until Friday, May 5 and the exhibition is free and open to the public during the gallery's regular hours. Eckert Art Gallery is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. On Thursdays, the gallery is open from noon to 8 p.m.