South Florida artists and performers came together Thursday night to fight climate change at The Frank art gallery in Pembroke Pines.
The exhibit, known as “Art for the Earth: Artists on Climate Change”, featured a theatrical performance, visual artwork and spoken poetry.
“Our artists are trying to talk to people about climate change in a way that invites dialogue,” said Taryn Nicoll, chief curator at The Frank gallery. “The goal is to talk about environmental conservation and how it affects people in their own lives.”
The Frank gallery hosted the free event in partnership with the Broward County Cultural Division and Broward County Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division. The showcase is part of the international Climate Change Theatre Action series, which promotes the work of 140 artists, performers and curators across 23 countries. Pembroke Pines is one of 60 cities in the United States participating in the global movement.
“It’s an honor to host. We wanted it to be accessible to anyone. The people in this area really do feel the impact of climate change. It’s important they can talk about it,” Nicoll said.
Christell Victoria Roach, one of the poets from the University of Miami’s Sinking City literary magazine who performed at the event, said that art can communicate climate change in a way that is more personal and welcoming than a mass protest or social media campaign.
“Art is different in that in can build bridges and invite anyone to critically think without making an issue seem bleak or impersonal,” she said. “Images, spoken word, performances can engage really destructive issues through a non-destructive, easily digestible way.”
The next Climate Change Theatre Action event will be located in North Palm Beach on Nov. 8. It will be feature selected original plays from a South Florida-based spoken-word troupe and a Palm Beach congregation.
“It’s just exciting to see people in South Florida learn about climate change through art,” said Roach. “Let’s hope that enthusiasm continues to spread.”
