Finally there seems to be the slightest bit of momentum from folks wondering whether we should be concerned that most scientists don’t see things going too well for humanity (to say nothing of a million other species) over the next few decades.
To coincide with the U.N Climate Summit and Youth Climate Summit 2019, global arts initiative Micro Galleries is holding a global day of creative action on Saturday, Sept. 21 against climate change. And at least one pair of Richmond artists will be participating.
Noah Scalin (“Skull-A-Day” project) and Daniel Calder have created an image that will be shown for 24 hours on the billboard located at 5912 W. Broad St. (near Hamstead Ave.) The message takes the form of a landscape image of Richmond inundated by a flooded James River coupled with inspirational text from Richmond’s own Arthur Ashe: “Did I make the best use of the time I had?”
The image sent to Style (shown above) was titled “New Atlantis, Old Dominion.”
“Noah and I have been talking about working together for years,” Calder told Style in an email message. “We both have a history of collaboration in a wide range of media. When this project came along, it seemed like a perfect opportunity.”
Both artists released a joint statement via press release:
“As artists we feel we have a great platform through our art to connect with the local community about the impact climate disruption will have on their way of life. And, we can’t sit back and wait for others to do something.”
They also noted a quote by environmentalist Bill McKibben: “When Bill heard about this global day of art action he threw his support behind it stating, ‘environmentalists are good at bar graphs and statistical tables.. but that’s only half of the human brain. We also need art and music to reach our more visceral core. That’s why this initiative from Micro Galleries is so vital.’
Also from the release: “Noah and Daniel’s work in Richmond will be live streamed over 24 hours, followed by its inclusion in an online exhibition at www.microgalleries.org. To find out how you can support this day of action and watch the art unfold, head to www.microgalleries.org/dayofaction.
For a more philosophical take: “Perhaps the most important philosophical question we face today is how to commit to some notion of human flourishing in the face of such an existential threat,” check out this article “We Broke The World” at the Baffler.
Oh, and go Team Greta.