Only a few blocks from the economic powerhouse that is Wall Street, on a $4.5 billion plot of land, stood a vast, yet unassuming wheatfield. The two acres were deliberately positioned atop the Battery Park landfill to challenge the extreme divide between natural and artificial forms of production in our society. Planted by artist Agnes Denes, the 1982 installation transcended traditional dimensions of art, boldly confronting our ecological crisis, highlighting issues of waste and world hunger with a provocative and irrefutable power.
In our current political context, art can act as a multidimensional catalyst for climate justice; mobilizing a platform for creative protest and action against oppressive systems of capitalism and government passivity, providing crucial healing spaces for those grappling with climate grief, and strengthening community resilience. A commitment to climate art is critical, as it not only challenges political leaders to confront environmental destruction, but also empowers individuals and communities to envision sustainable futures. Through explicit and emotional mediums that transcend inaccessible and specialized scientific language, climate art turns feelings of disillusionment into operable hope and drives systemic change for a more equitable and healthy world.
Art as Protest and Resistance
Art has played an integral role over the course of human history, acting as an inspirational display of resistance and protest. A perfect example of this is the Guerrilla Girls. Beginning in 1985, this activist group has launched several public poster campaigns that expose the bias against women and artists of color in galleries and museums. Their work critiques mass media censorship, reproductive rights, and political corruption, demonstrating the multifaceted role of art in challenging discrimination and sparking social change. Through inventive and captivating spectacles such as these, art has the multifunctional ability to unite many under a shared cause, in sparking public dialogue and condemning political leaders and matters.
Breaking Down Barriers
In this same way, visual performances have the ability to reframe complex climate issues as accessible, pertinent, and emotionally convincing. Activist Chris Jordan effectively conveys the devastating consequences of plastic consumption through his photography series Running the Numbers II: Portraits of Global Mass Culture. Each image offers clear, tangible insights into a specific ecological issue, using concrete visual representations to highlight the colossal scale of global waste. Whether it be depicting 270,000 fossilized shark teeth to symbolize the daily global death toll of sharks for their fins or showcasing 50,000 cigarette lighters as a visual equivalent to the plastic found in each square mile of the ocean, Jordan’s visceral work demonstrates the magnitude of environmental destruction in a transparent and comprehensible way. Furthermore, his projects break down the barriers created by technical and oftentimes discouraging scientific data that can often overwhelm individuals, distancing them from the matter altogether.
Healing Climate Grief
With our existence on this planet at risk, it is unsurprising many are experiencing feelings of hopelessness and debilitating fear. Art, however, can act as a therapeutic outlet for anxiety, as seen in Lucy Walker’s Waste Land. In her 2011 documentary, Walker follows artist Vik Muniz for three years as he teams up with underprivileged workers at Brazil’s largest landfill, and transforms recyclable materials into powerful human portraits. Over time, this initiative evolved into a healing practice, empowering the laborers of the landfill to redefine their sense of identity through art. Rather than an immoble state of anxiety, we must strive to stay in this form of alarmed discovery in order to enact effective change and self-renewal.
Ecological Creativity in Action
A self-proclaimed “outdoor enthusiast,” Connecticut College Professor of Sculpture Greg Bailey is a great example of what it means to be an artistic climate activist. Upon entering Bailey’s office, you’ll find car seats repurposed as couches, slabs of wood as table tops, and large bits of metal remodeled into filing cabinets. He wasn’t always so sustainable-forward; “I’m ashamed to admit that my older work used more materials and resources than their share. More often than not my sculptures would fall into disrepair and be hauled off to the dump, disgustingly epitomizing waste.” After the birth of his daughter, however, his life unmistakably shifted. Inspired by a devotion to his daughter’s future, Professor Bailey merged his unique creative outlet with our pressing ecological climate to shape his central question: how can he “make artwork that represents (his) concern for the environment and sustainability and promote positive change?” Recently, Bailey has erected eco-friendly projects such as rain collecting water cisterns and chimney caps that recapture wasted water or heat. These artistic works encourage ethical comfortable living by decreasing one’s carbon footprint in order to create a better future.
Transformative Potential of Creativity
Addressing climate change takes passion, innovation, and creativity. Creativity lies within the human heart, driven by our innermost desires and an intrinsic motivation to build, whether that be relationships, systems, or knowledge in ways that have yet to be explored. Creativity also involves active questioning of established solutions and challenging norms, refusing to accept them at face value. Artistic climate activism closely aligns with this creative impulse, using art as a means of questioning and reimagining our relationship with the environment. Artists who engage in climate activism challenge institutionalized systems that result in environmental deterioration, presenting alternative visions of a more sustainable and fair future. Through their artistic expression, creatives can promote unity and collective action, encouraging society to reevaluate our response to the climate crisis. In this way, creativity becomes not only a tool for personal expression but a powerful force for environmental justice, calling us to imagine a balanced and resilient world.
Aoife Butler, a junior at Connecticut College, explores the intersection of art, climate justice, and political reform.