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      Past Exhibition

      Climate Action: Inspiring Change

      On view April 16, 2022 to June 25, 2023

      Today's hours:

      10 am–5 pm

      Monday

      10 am–5 pm

      Tuesday

      Closed

      Wednesday

      Closed

      Thursday

      10 am–5 pm

      Friday

      10 am–5 pm

      Saturday

      10 am–5 pm

      Sunday

      10 am–5 pm

      Monday

      10 am–5 pm

      Tuesday

      Closed

      Wednesday

      Closed

      Thursday

      10 am–5 pm

      Friday

      10 am–5 pm

      Saturday

      10 am–5 pm

      Sunday

      10 am–5 pm

      How can we transform the climate crisis into hope for our shared future?

      PEM’s timely exhibition brings together dynamic contemporary art, hands-on experiences and inspiring works by youth artists to help guide us toward making a difference for the planet. The majority of Americans are anxious about the climate, yet only a small percentage of us actually talk about it or know how to make a positive impact. Our choices and actions regarding the environment will require imagination and vision, and the steps we take today will have far-reaching ramifications. Now is the time to be bold!

      Climate Action leverages creativity, science and participation to raise awareness about the underlying issues of climate change, focusing on known solutions, including Indigenous practices, to foster action. The goal is for each of us to move beyond our fear and feelings of helplessness and make informed choices to take positive steps forward. Collectively, as a growing community, we can take actions that will help lead to a climate-stable and environmentally-just future for all.

      On view in the Dotty Brown Art & Nature Center, this exhibition highlights local and regional climate issues and opportunities. Most of the 29 featured artists are based in New England — including works by 9 award-winning youth who participated in the Climate Hope: Transforming Crisis international student art contest in 2020 organized by Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs.

      Climate Action features works by the following artists. Nelson Andrews (Mashpee Wampanoag), Wes Bruce, Silvia López Chavez, David Greendeer (Narragansett and Ho-chunk), Elisapee Ishulutaq (Pangnirtung Inuit), Moon Hee Kim, Courtney M. Leonard (Shinnecock Nation), Nathalie Miebach, Greg Mort, Rosemary Mosco, Randall Munroe. Jill Pelto, Naima Penniman, Emma Quateman, Susan Quateman, Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), Madeleine Jubilee Saito, Laurie Sproul, and Alan Syliboy (Mi'kmaq). The show also includes award-winning artworks by the following youth: Emily Cai, Dora Chen, Jennifer Liu, Xingfeiyan Liu, Emily McNichols, Jada Mensah, Anjali Mitra, Jasmine Wang, and Michelle Zhan.

      To create Climate Action, PEM partnered with The Climate Museum in New York, the first museum in the nation dedicated to the climate crisis. The exhibition is presented as part of PEM’s Climate + Environment Initiative and is made possible by the Dorothy Brown Bequest for Art and Nature and the Albert M. Creighton Jr. Fund for Art and Nature. Special thanks to the Creighton family for their generous gift. Additional support was provided by Susan and Appy Chandler, Peter and Sandra Lawrence and individuals who support the Exhibition Incubation Fund: Jennifer and Andrew Borggaard, James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes, Kate and Ford O'Neil, and Henry and Callie Brauer. We also recognize the generosity of the East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum and the support and guidance of the Art & Nature Center Visiting Committee.

      Media Partner


      Share your impressions with us on social media using #PEMClimateAction.

      TOP IMAGE: Jada Mensah, Earth Collaption (detail), 2020, Digital artwork. Silver Award, High School, Art category, "Climate Hope: Transforming Crisis" international student art contest. Courtesy of Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs, Inc.

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      Jennifer Liu, Out of Time, 2020. Colored pencil on paper. Courtesy of Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs, Inc.

      Jennifer Liu, Out of Time, 2020. Colored pencil on paper. Courtesy of Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs, Inc.

      Moon Hee Kim, Melt and Slide, 2019. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of Moon Hee Kim.

      Moon Hee Kim, Melt and Slide, 2019. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of Moon Hee Kim.

      Anjali Mitra, The Seas are Rising, So Are We, 2020. Materials. Courtesy of Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs, Inc.

      Anjali Mitra, The Seas are Rising, So Are We, 2020. Materials. Courtesy of Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs, Inc.

      Naima Penniman, Foresight, 2018. Acrylic on wood. © Naima Penniman. Courtesy of the artist.

      Naima Penniman, Foresight, 2018. Acrylic on wood. © Naima Penniman. Courtesy of the artist.

      Xingfeiyang Liu, Clean, 2020. Courtesy of Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs, Inc.

      Xingfeiyang Liu, Clean, 2020. Courtesy of Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs, Inc.

      We can solve climate change ... it’s not all doom and gloom! That’s why the Earth figure is holding up a golden circle — to show viewers the greener future we could have if we helped out and started changing the way we live for the better."
      — Artist Jada Mensah

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      PEMcast 26: The current climate

      Hear from artists and activists who are inspiring climate action — including Jane Goodall, Wes Bruce, Konstantin Dimopoulos, Stephen Gorman, Edward Koren and more!

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