Poly-Pledge was an interactive art project by collaborators J. Leigh Garcia and Pete Bouchard. The project featured a human-powered vending machine that dispensed reusable screen printed bags in exchange for pledges against the use of plastic bags for one month. The machine was covered in relief-carved paintings and included a water tank that produced bubbles when pledges were inserted. The machine debuted at The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Campus Mall, Library Mall, Lakeshore Path, Allen Centennial Garden, and Dejope Residence Hall over the span of 2016. Bags were generously donated by Fresh Market and Capital Centre Market of Madison, WI.
Poly Pledge: A Public Art and Science Event Mixing Water and Plastic, was a symposium in conjunction with the Poly Pledge project. The symposium was sponsored by The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute in collaboration with Anne Moser, UW-Madison Senior Special Librarian, and Timothy Hoellein, Loyola University Assistant Professor and Aquatic Ecologist. During the symposium, Hoellein gave a lecture on the effects of micro-plastics on aquatic environments, followed by Bouchard and Garcia’s artist talks and presentation of the Poly Pledge project.
