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Art exhibit on climate justice on view in Mount Vernon until June

Earth Creative artists promote environmental awareness, deep healing

By Jessica Gigot CDN Contributor

Through the month of May, Perry and Carlson in Mount Vernon is featuring “Earth Creative: Artists Unite for the Planet,” a group show of 30 member artists of the organization Earth Creative. Founded five years ago by composer Christophe Chagnard, the Everett-based arts nonprofit aims to use “the power of the arts to raise awareness about climate change to advance climate justice for all.”

According to a recent survey, Americans who think global warming is happening outnumber those who think it is not happening by a ratio of about 5 to 1. 59% of Americans understand that global warming is mostly human-caused. So how is awareness increased about the science of climate change and the role that humans play in this alarming trajectory? Art may have some answers.

In an interview with Chagnard last year, I learned that Earth Creative was born in April 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, following the success of his climate changed-focus multimedia project, “Terra Nostra.” Chagnard, a father of two, refers to Earth Creative as a “legacy project” born out of a sense of urgency at leaving an Earth that is “deeply compromised” to future generations.

While the Perry and Carlson show focuses on visual art, Earth Creative members work in mediums including music, theater, literature, poetry, dance, film, storytelling and documentary-making . (Cocoa Laney/Cascadia Daily News)

At the time of the exhibit’s opening event on May 3, Earth Creative had 83 artists representing 17 countries. Member artists meet online monthly, and new members are allotted a slot to share their work with the larger group. I joined the group in April 2024 and appreciate the breadth of artistic approaches reconciling our relationship to land and natural resources.

Other organization initiatives include a Science and Education Committee, which develops relevant K-12 curriculum that has reached more than 3,000 students at this point.

An oil-on-canvas painting, entitled “Lynchburg,” by Natalie Niblack. (Cocoa Laney/Cascadia Daily News)

Christian Carlson curated the Earth Creative show at Perry and Carlson and has been an enthusiastic collaborator with Earth Creative. Perry and Carlson regularly sponsors events they feel strongly about, such as youth orchestral performances, or charitable events with the NGO Novi Community, which does relief work with children in war zones. 

The show’s opening drew a large crowd. Dr. Phoebe Barnard, co-creator of the film “The Climate Restorers: Back to Our Future” with partner John Bowey, was asked to give her perspective as both an artist and a scientist and she helped to put these efforts into focus. 

“We are at a crossroad of humanity,” Barnard said. She continued, “These are times of deep learning.”

There is indeed a lot to learn from this wide-spanning show, which includes several Skagit and Whatcom County artists. Rebecca Meloy, a painter based in Bellingham, has a piece in the show and attended the opening. 


“The conversation between the myriad Earth Creative members’ works is engaging,” Meloy said.  “With the diversity of media and empathetic messages, one needs to stop and ponder each masterful work carefully … I especially enjoyed the playfulness of the two ‘Kelplandia’ textile wall sculptures by Jeremy Rise.”

A sculpture by textile artist Jeremy Rise hangs in Perry and Carlson on May 2. (Cocoa Laney/Cascadia Daily News)

 “Climate Change in the New Capitalism,” from Zambian artist Mapopa Hussein Manda, stands out for both its daring color and evocative depiction of consumerism. Adjacent is a more subtle piece, “Mending Measure 1.1” by Seattle artist Sara Everett — a sublime landscape made with watercolor, acrylic and thread. 

Everett uses salvaged vinyl; her work with thread is a commentary on how we heal and mend endangered animals and places, according to one of the videos provided. Other pieces rely on natural or upcycled material, like PaTan’s “Grizzle 399” made with crayons, and Theo Jonsson’s “Reciprocity” made partially with tree resin. The back room hosts a computer and headphones to experience video and dance submissions as well as digital montages of Earth Creative artist’s work. 

La Conner-based painter Meg Holgate has two paintings in the show and noted how the 30-plus exhibited works are “as varied as our many environmental issues.” As an early member to the organization, “At Earth Creative, we believe that together we can work towards rethinking, recreating, and regenerating our special place in the universe,” she added.

This is a show to be digested slowly, as Meloy recommends, and maybe that is another way that art investigates our current crisis — allowing the space and time to understand what is happening, and what we can do about it. In her book “Take Heart: Encouragement for Earth’s Weary Lovers,” writer and Earth Creative member, Kathleen Dean More writes, “Art invites us to linger, to contemplate the goodness and beauty that sustain us.”

“Earth Creative: Artists Unite for the Planet” is on display through June 1, at 504 S. 1st St., Mount Vernon. Jessica Gigot is a member of Earth Collective, but was not involved in the exhibition.

Jessica Gigot is a poet and writing coach. She lives on a little sheep farm in the Skagit Valley. See her work at jessicagigot.com.

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