The lungs of our planet—oceans, forests, and the atmosphere—are under threat, invaded by carbon emissions, plastics, and man-made pollutants. The act of breathing was rendered even more perilous by the COVID-19 pandemic and police brutality. Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice considers the connections between climate change, environmental justice, and social justice through the lens of contemporary art. The indoor/outdoor exhibition brings together approximately 100 works focused on climate change by a group of intergenerational contemporary artists, scientists, and activists, addressing anthropogenic disasters such as deforestation, ocean acidification, coral reef bleaching, water pollution, extraction, and atmospheric politics. Six major new commissions, including a bee sculpture by Garnett Puett and a living garden created by Ron Finley, go beyond the art world to make tangible contributions to the protection of our climate.

Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice Higher Education Curricular Resource