Art in Action, What will you do to help stop Global Warmin

Me discussing the impact of climate change with students and what they can do to help stop it.

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from a friend encouraging me to enter the Creative Climate Awards, sponsored by the Human Impacts Institute in NYC. Always looking for a way to "make a difference" as an artist, I started thinking about what I could create to inspire change. I knew right away that I wanted to involve students in the project.

First, I had to create a piece of art to talk about with the students, so I painted the NYC skyline on raw canvas. Next, I covered the canvas by sewing on strips of blue glazed paper from articles about climate change (a metaphorical representation of increased air pollution or rising sea levels enveloping the city/land/Earth).

Art teacher, Deb Costello, gave me some time out of her precious schedule to speak to a group of her students about the project. We discussed what caused climate change - primarily human activity - and what we can do to help stop it. Each student tore off a strip of paper and wrote a pledge on it describing what they will do to help stop climate change.

Student writing his pledge to help stop climate change.

Student writing her pledge to help stop climate change.

The NYC skyline after students tore off strips of paper to write their pledges.

Using the strips of paper that the students wrote their pledges on, I created another piece of artwork - a silhouette of the NYC skyline, this time not obstructed by pollution or rising water, that calls viewers to action with the title, "How will YOU stop Global Warming?"

Artwork created from the students' pledges.

Thanks so much to Deb and the students who participated in the project. Please spread the word - How will you help stop Global Warming/Climate Change?