Judy Chicago “Vulnerable” from “The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction”, 2020 © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/ARS, NY Courtesy of the artist; Salon 94, New York; and Jessica Silverman Gallery, San Francisco
As a result of my research for my six year project, “The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction” I came to understand the terrible harm we are doing to other creatures on the planet, damage that has come back to haunt us with the world-wide pandemic which stems from the live animal markets in Asia where sensate creatures are kept in horrid conditions. When my exhibition opened in the Fall of 2019 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, D.C., my friend Jane Fonda was in town to launch her Fire Drill Fridays. I gave her a personal tour of the show and at that time, we decided to team up to try and make change. Hans Ulrich Obrist – who has long been focused on issues of extinction in his curatorial work – also went to D.C. to see the show and met Jane. He decided to join us along with the Serpentine Galleries.
Over the course of the ensuing months, we three plus NMWA, Greenpeace and the street artist Swoon brainstormed about how to have a worldwide impact through art and #CreateArtForEarth was born. Since we launched it on April 20, 2020 in relation to Earth Day, I have been posting my favorite contributions from artists all over.
This Earth, What She Is To Me by Andrea Bowers and Suzanne Lacey
HUMANATURE by Sasha Stiles
HOLA Home Studio: “A Greener LA” – Drawing Lesson
The Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), is a non-profit that gives underserved kids an equal chance to succeed through a comprehensive array of after-school academic, arts, athletics, and wellness programs.
A Walk in the Park by Barbara T. Smith
A Deadly Pair by Maureen H.
Share your vision. Upload your creations to social media with the hashtag #CreateArtForEarth.
Turner Carroll Gallery and I are co-curating an exhibition titled Solstice: Create Art for Earth, opening June 20, 2020 to coincide with the summer solstice. Artists from around the world are invited to submit artworks in all media, created specifically for or inspired by this project, that envisions a better future. The summer solstice has long been a symbol of new beginnings and a celebration of nature. 10% of proceeds from this exhibition will benefit Through the Flower, the nonprofit I founded in 1977 with the mission to counter the erasure of women’s achievements through art.
Submit images on Instagram for Solstice: Create Art For Earth by using the hashtag #CreateArtForEarth and tagging @turnercarrollgallery in your post and on your image, no later than June 1. For more information on how to submit click here.
#CreateArtForEarth is a call for global creative response to the climate crisis and the pandemic afflicting us. It was initiated by artists Judy Chicago, Swoon, and Jane Fonda in partnership with in partnership with Fire Drill Fridays, Greenpeace, the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., and Serpentine Galleries, London.
