LAUNCHING on the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, Judy Chicago and Swoon have united with Jane Fonda and her environmental movement Fire Drill Fridays; Greenpeace USA; the Women, Arts and Social Change initiative of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Serpentine Gallery in London to launch #CreateArtForEarth. This scheme aims to encourage art that looks into the climate crisis and illustrates a call to action. This campaign is a part of the Serpentine’s Back to Earth project that invites artists to put forward campaigns regarding the crisis effecting the environment with the support of the establishment’s partners.
Judy Chicago, Stranded from “The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction” (2016).
Photo by ©Donald Woodman/ARS, New York, courtesy of the artist; Salon 94, New York; and Jessica Silverman Gallery, San Francisco; ©Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS)
The Create Art For Earth initiative is starting with an open call for anyone to upload pieces of art or even messages that address justice for climate change using the hashtag #CreateArtForEarth on social media. The accepted forms of submission are paintings, photography, sculptures, images, texts, poem, symbols and other forms of visual representation. During these unprecedented times where protesting on the streets is not allowed, this call for visual action aims to mirror the mutual commitment we should make to continually protect our planet even when we are stuck indoors.
Judy Chicago explains the heartbreaking effects of climate change on the environment that have been seen over the past decade, such as the melting of the ice caps and wildfires, and goes on to state “the most pressing issue for us today are the conditions out of which these dire occurrences have happened, which artists can help illuminate if they start addressing what matters in understandable modes”. Swoon continues emphasising the importance of art as a medium of information, “I’m such a firm believer that the first step to action is an act of imagination”. Art has become such a valued tool in society to explain and guide our views on pressing matters such as climate change, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Bettina Korek of the Serpentine Galleries agree, “We look to art and artists for guidance on how to shape the future”.
The partners that create this campaign will be selecting their favourite work to be displayed and broadcasted across platforms:
Judy Chicago: @judy.chicago on Instagram and on her non-profit arts organisation www.throughtheflower.org/
Fire Drill Fridays: across social media platforms @firedrillfriday and selected artwork will be displayed during future rallies
Greenpeace USA: across social media channels @GreenpeaceUSA and their website
The National Museum of Women in the Arts: feature art by female artists on @womeninthearts on Instagram
Serpentine Galleries: over the course of the year, the establishment will highlight their favourites on social media and their website, as well as creating a poster installed onsite at the galleries.
by Imogen ClarkÂ
Remember to Hashtag: #CreateArtForEarth