Exhibition interior
We need a wave of civic engagement and collective action to implement our climate solutions.
June 7–October 27, 2019
SAT–Sun, 11AM–6PM
hOUSE 18, nOLAN pARK, gOVERNORS iSLAND
When it comes to the climate crisis, the majority of people in the United States are worried but inactive. We also tend to underestimate the public consensus that already exists on climate. Finally, because the problem exists on a global scale, it is easy to feel powerless about addressing it. While this dynamic has changed dramatically in a hopeful way over the last year, the self-reinforcing cycle of silence, isolation, and passivity remains largely intact. Taking Action was an exhibition intended to help reverse this cycle by providing guidance and support on specific civic actions we can take together for climate progress.
The exhibition consisted of three main rooms. The first room encouraged visitors to explore proven carbon mitigation strategies—i.e. climate solutions. The second exposed some of the daunting reasons these solutions are not being implemented. In the third room, visitors took targeted actions that address the barriers to progress identified previously. Represented by corresponding stickers, these actions aggregated over the duration of the exhibition and visualized the collective nature of effective climate action.
The show as a whole was inspired by the transformative youth climate movement, which invites all of us to take a fresh look at the imperative of breaking with business as usual, both in the world and in our own minds. Together we can and must move forward by taking action.
Taking Action was located on beautiful Governors Island, home to many other innovative cultural and environmental programs.
House 18, Nolan Park (2019).