Artists featured in the Hofstra University Museum of Art’s exhibit “Environmental Impact” discussed their works and environmental issues at the roundtable “Art Into Action,” hosted on Wednesday, Nov. 13, in the Emily Lowe Gallery.
Three artists who contributed work to the exhibit were present at the discussion. Barbara Roux, Alejandro Durán and Diane Burko spoke on the panel, which was moderated by Annetta Centrella-Vitale, director of sustainability research at Hofstra.
The panelists began by talking about what inspired their artwork and how art can communicate the impacts of climate change.
Durán, who created the piece “Algas” (Algae) from his series of photographs titled “Washed Up,” said, “I went and saw first-hand environmental degradation and was blown away by it and horrified. I then needed to engage it in some way.” Durán’s images capture the huge amounts of plastic and garbage that have washed up on the coast of Sian Ka’an, one of Mexico’s largest federally protected reserves.
“It wasn’t until 2006 that I had my epiphany about climate change,” said Burko, who had been a landscape painter and photographer beforehand. Since 2006, Burko’s art has been inspired by the environment and bringing awareness to the climate crisis. Her paintings on display layer paint on maritime maps and were influenced by a recent trip to coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean.
Long Island artist Barbara Roux says her art was influenced by her own conservation projects and her local environment. Her creations are purposeful. “It’s very serious for me, it’s not art for art’s sake,” Roux said.
The discussion also centered on waste in art, awareness of the environment and how people can take action to combat climate change.
Durán said that if people see up close how the environment is changing, it makes the crisis more real. “You can talk and talk about it, but if you don’t see how the planet is hurting, you don’t really feel it. With art there is a distance that is created, so I think it’s really important to go see the environment because that will inspire people to make change.”
Lindsey Callaway, a junior at Hofstra who attended the event, said it was “powerful,” and added, “I think other students should go look at the exhibit because it is easier to look at the environment in an art form than hearing scientists talk about data.”
Acting Director and Chief Curator of the Hofstra Museum of Art Karen Albert said the exhibition has been a long time in the making: “We plan our exhibits three or four years in advance, so we’ve been working on this for a while.”
Albert said she wanted the roundtable to narrow down the broad topic of climate change. “One of the things I wanted to do was to show artists who are responding to human intrusion in the natural environment. Not just issues of climate change overall, but very specifically things that our impact has had on the planet,” she said. “That’s why a lot of these are about oil spills and plastic.”
“What I really like about this exhibition is that it covers the human impact on the environment in a way that makes it look both beautiful and also kind of haunting, because a lot of the pieces here are aesthetically pleasing but when you look at the content itself it’s very disturbing,” said Rebecca Lo Presti, a junior and fellow for the Center for Civic Engagement.
The roundtable was part of Hofstra’s Science Night Live, a public lecture series put on by the university that highlights scientific research and environmental awareness. The Environmental Impact exhibition will be on display until Friday, Dec. 13.