Aurora Robson

Growing up in Hawaii, surrounded by magnificent beaches and tropical forests, Aurora learned from a young age to have a profound respect for nature. When she moved to Brooklyn, where she lived and worked for more than two decades, she began studying art history and visual arts at Columbia. Making herself a part of one of the world’s greatest cultural hubs, New York, she noticed the piles of trash on the streets in front of her studio reflected the forms of the artworks she was creating. This inspired her to combine her creativity with the plastic debris.

"We are in a prime position to be effective agents of change. I choose to use my skills to envision a less littered world."

Robson is a proud founding member of Project Vortex, an international collective of artists, designers, and architects who develop inventive uses for plastic debris, as they strive to help people think differently and understand their choices better when it comes to pollution.

"I like challenging myself and the viewer to think differently."

Her objective is "merging a global language as art with a global issue, which is litter." She takes her work around the world to colleges, universities, and high schools to foster creative stewardship through academia. She runs workshops for elementary school students and their teachers where she shows them how to use debris to create art. This spreads awareness on the issue of litter and also provides creative solutions in school districts that often lack the funds to buy art supplies. Beyond this, Aurora has her work exhibited in museums, galleries, and non-traditional spaces around the world.

"I wish it were harder to find discarded objects to create art."