It also caught the attention of award-winning actor Alec Baldwin. Owens was recently a guest on Baldwin’s podcast, Here’s the Thing, which delves into the lives of artists, policy makers, and performers. Baldwin and Owens spoke about her Entangled and Ingested series, through which she creates portraits of animals harmed by plastic pollution by hand-sewing unrecyclable film plastic on canvas.
“Part of the reason I took on this project is because I was tired of just communicating with other scientists about this issue,” Owens said. “I want to connect with people and then get them to contact their leaders and demand something better.”
Mixing art and advocacy, Owens is passionate about educating people on the impact of plastics on the world around us, especially on waterways and animals. “I want people to make connections between this problem and their own lives and then ideally get them to take political action about it,” she said. “I really do think we can still influence our political systems and we need to.”
In the wide-ranging interview, Baldwin asked Owens about her journey as an artist, environmentalist, and academic whose work has taken her around the world. She shared what drew her to the University of Hartford, where she is a professor of politics, economics, and international studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.
“I came to Hartford, and I really loved it,” she said. “It has a real potential for interdisciplinary work because it has a music school, an art school, an engineering school, a College of Arts and Sciences, a business school. So it's got a lot of depth.”
Her appearance on Here’s the Thing puts Owens in distinguished company. Previous guests on the podcast include Ira Glass, Lena Dunham, David Letterman, Barbara Streisand, Chris Rock and others.
You can listen to the podcast on your favorite streaming app or by clicking below.
Kat Owens, Professor, College of Arts and SciencesPart of the reason I took on this project is because I was tired of just communicating with other scientists about this issue. I want to connect with people and then get them to contact their leaders and demand something better.