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Anniversary of nuclear disaster sparks creative response |
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Artists from around the world create works inspired by Three Mile Island in response to the 25th anniversary of the reactor’s near-meltdown
By DEBRA MASSIC Reporting Spring 2004 |
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MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – One way to remember an event is through a picture. A photo captures an exact reflection of the time. A poster can reflect a feeling, such as fear, anger or mistrust. A painting can encapsulate both. For the 25th anniversary of the accident at Three Mile Island, an art display was put together through the Harrisburg Art Association, depicting themes and thoughts from March 28, 1979. “While not all artists are political activists or have a particular agenda to their work, artists naturally tend to be ultra-sensitive and feel a need to express those feelings to a greater audience,” Kathryn Anderson, a graphics art instructor at Penn State Harrisburg said. “The events surrounding TMI directly affected the daily lives and threatened the livelihood of thousands of citizens, so it would seem only natural that artists react to the ensuing situation. Psychologically, socially, economically, and politically–it was an event that encompassed an immense range of subject matter.” About 30 paintings, posters, photos and computer-designed graphics from all over the world are currently on display in the Lobby of the Olmstead Building at Penn State Harrisburg. Maureen Mulligan, a member of the Art Association and a local renewable energy consultant, put advertisements in a local publications asking for anyone with artwork related to TMI. “I’m interested in art and I’ve spent a good part of my life working on TMI and environmental issues, so I wanted to put something together,” she said. “A lot of times we only allow for one form of expression, speech, and I wanted to show a broader form. By bringing the artists together, it shows a deep breadth of experiences- how people feel now and how they felt then.” Several posters featured in the collection depict feelings on nuclear power in 1979 and 2004. One poster advertises an anti-nuclear march held in Washington on May 6, 1979. Photos show 30 buses full of local residents at the march, holding up “No More Harrisburgs!” signs. Three Mile Island Alert, a non-profit TMI watchdog organization, produced a poster for the 20th anniversary of the accident featuring a classic yellow smiley face with its eyes marked with “Xs” and a photo of one of the TMI cooling towers in the background. Artist Joe Knezic labeled it with the words, “Have a Nice Day.” Gene Stilp designed a poster for the 25th anniversary inviting everyone to TMI Alert’s vigil outside the Northgate of TMI at 3 a.m. on March 28. Joe Linter drew a portrait of a large man, with a cooling tower protruding from his head. The man’s tie has a dollar sign on it, hinting at the artist’s feeling of money’s involvement in nuclear power. Several of the paintings show the beauty of the landscape surrounding TMI with the cooling towers only small dots on the horizon. Either the artists are accepting the towers as part of the environment or depicting their abruptness and intrusion on the pristine environment, according to Mulligan. Rob Evans’ Study of Ice Flow focuses on a flower and its shadow on a rock. The sky is dark and TMI is seen in the distance with its red lights and steam clouds. Thomas Scullin painted two landscapes with TMI clearly in the backdrop. The startling parts of his pictures are the titles, “Have a Happy Meltdown I” and “Have a Happy Meltdown II.” “It was a nice meltdown,” Scullin said. “No one was killed. It was a wake-up call, but compared to what happened at Chernobyl, it was a happy meltdown.” Scullin, who currently lives in Lancaster, resided in Middletown around the time of the accident. He would go down to the Susquehanna River and paint what he saw. He views the event as a sign that man does not have control over everything, but that nuclear power is not as bad as some people think. “There are some issues of disposal, security and terrorism,” he said. “But with safeguards, it can be a significant part of the power grid. France gets more than 70 percent of their electricity from nuclear power plants.” Mulligan’s experience with TMI began while she was living outside Philadelphia. As the events unfolded in Middletown and she waited for updates, a friend from Arizona warned her to leave the area. She was not aware of the magnitude of the accident. “The local press was not accurately portraying the situation and the national press was not giving all the details,” she said. She has since moved to the Harrisburg area, about six miles away from TMI, and spent 10 years working on renewable energy. The event turned her into an environmental activist. She feels it is important to remember the accident because of the current energy bill, featuring plans to build new power plants, being reviewed in Washington. Imbrittlement is also a major issue, as plants are wearing out but still being approved for re-licensing. TMI is one of the older plants applying for new licensing. “TMI is a failed 1950s technology,” she said. “We’ve moved way past that in 2004 to a variety of less costly energy alternatives.” Mulligan hopes the display will travel to other locations including the Smithsonian, reaching different audiences and encouraging discussions on nuclear power. “These are visual images that you can draw your own conclusions from,” she said. “Some people don’t want to hear or think about it [TMI] because then they have to deal with it. This is the mindset when people are confronted with something unpleasant or bigger than they can handle. Think about or not, the art can open doors.” “Visual imagery, ‘speaks’ regardless of the viewer’s age, cultural background or educational level,” Anderson said. “Sometimes words and image are needed, and in other instances there are no words that can compare with a powerful image- be it gut-wrenching or breathtaking.” All stories in this magazine are the intellectual property of the individual authors. You may email comments about this story to: dlm352@psu.edu |
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