Circular and The Honnold Foundation Partner on Solar Artwork Fundraising Project

Artist Polly Burge takes a Valentine’s Day break to show her work in progress.

Sheridan, Wyoming’s 501(c)(3) Circular showcases community-based solutions to global waste problems in the energy sector. Their projects focus on second-life uses for energy materials, sustainability awareness, youth and adult art education, new community narratives, and female entrepreneurship.

The Honnold Foundation, founded by world-class climber Alex Honnold in 2012, provides grants to organizations advancing solar energy access all over the world. They look for partners whose work reduces environmental impact and increases social and economic equity, and who demonstrate strong ties to the communities they serve. The Foundation believes that energy should be easy to access, affordable, and have a low impact on the natural world.

The two nonprofit organizations are pleased to announce a partnership on a Spring fundraising effort for the Foundation. Circular is donating a commissioned piece of artwork from Sheridan artist Polly Burge, which will feature her unique artwork on an end-of-life solar panel.

Sheridan’s Circular, led by Executive Director Logan Jenkins, envisioned the fundraising concept in December 2021. The Circular team had already introduced four different pieces of artwork prior to Burge’s, including two by Sheridan High School Art Teacher Ashley Cooper.

Jenkins states, “This partnership is a win for everyone involved. Circular gets the opportunity to showcase a very talented Sheridan artist in Polly. The Honnold Foundation benefits from a very unique piece of artwork to supplement a fundraising drive to promote solar energy for a more equitable world. Further, our solar artwork project receives increased exposure outside of the town and the State of Wyoming.”

Closeup of Burge’s commissioned Tetons artwork.

Artist Burge was born and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia. She then attended North Carolina State University, completing her Bachelor’s degree in Spanish Language & Literature in 2014. After working a summer job wrangling horses and guiding dudes at Eatons’ Ranch outside of Sheridan, Polly fell in love with the landscape, horse culture, and the people she met in Wyoming. She moved to call Sheridan home in February of 2015.

After becoming a member at SAGE Community Arts, Polly joined the board in January 2019 with a personal mission to expand membership, arts appreciation programming, and establish an endowment. Polly’s work can be found in a number of Sheridan, Dayton, and Buffalo galleries, reflecting her experiences in the Bighorn Mountains, Cloud Peak Wilderness, and the Tetons.

“This project has been an incredible experience. I love the mission of The Honnold Foundation and working with Circular through this partnership has connected me with more folks in the community who understand the value of the arts. The end-of-life solar panel is definitely a unique opportunity for me to try something out of my normal routine, and it has presented a few unique challenges. For one, it’s quite large (approximately 58'“x38”) and very heavy (about 40 pounds), and I haven’t used acrylics in my work in a number of years. It has been really fun exploring essentially a new medium on a new surface.”

Polly continues, “However, what has most excited me about this project is that it’s a small piece of the puzzle in our landfill and waste problem which we’re bringing attention to. Awareness of the waste I create, just as an individual, is something that causes me to be anxious. I am making a conscious effort personally to create less of it.
I love that I’m painting on trash, and reversing its value. I’m very pleased with the progress of my solar panel painting so far, but I really can’t wait to see how this whole project continues to evolve. It’s so incredible to have Circular in the Sheridan community taking on this idea, and jumping in with so much enthusiasm, pulling in people from all over the country to be involved…. It’s really exciting to be part of.”

Further details on the fundraising partnership and photos of Burge’s finished piece will be released in mid-March. Circular’s Jenkins adds, “We’ve generated a lot of interest in our work through this partnership and hope that it leads to a very successful fundraising campaign for The Honnold Foundation. Additionally, we’re hoping it leads to more exposure to Sheridan’s many talented artists.”

(Left) Sheridan’s Sara Von Krosigk with her “Grant Street” solar piece. (Right) Sheridan’s Ashley Cooper’s acrylic piece titled “Home”.