Director’s Dialogue on Art and Social Change: Climate and Culture

Columbus, OH—Leading artists and environmentalists convene in the Wexner Center’s Film/Video Theater Wednesday, March 31 at 7 pm for the annual Director’s Dialogue on Art and Social Change. This year’s topic, Climate and Culture, explores how artists and scientists are working together to address and educate the public about climate change. The panel brings together individuals with a deep commitment to such work who travel across continents: David Buckland of the Cape Farewell project, which has led seven expeditions of artists and scientists into the High Arctic; renowned Ohio State paleoclimatologist Lonnie Thompson, who received the National Medal of Science and was a leading advisor for the documentary An Inconvenient Truth; highly regarded photographer Mitch Epstein, whose work is included What Is American Power, a billboard project that raises public awareness of the toll from energy production and consumption; Paul D. Miller (aka DJ Spooky), electronic musician, author, and creator of an “acoustic sound project” featuring Antarctic ice forms; artist Alexis Rockman, whose environmentally themed work was on view at the Wex in 2004; and landscape designer and activist Edwina von Gal of the land stewardship program Azuero Earth Project. More information on all of the panelists can be found at http://www.wexarts.org/ed/index.php?eventid=4299.

Cosponsored by Ohio State’s Byrd Polar Research Center in celebration of its 50th anniversary, the event is free and open to the public, and will be streamed live at www.wexarts.org/live.

Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee will host a public reception welcoming the panelists beginning at 5:30 pm in the café.

Notes Wexner Center Director Sherri Geldin, “This is our fourth annual Director’s Dialogue, bringing together experts from diverse fields (including, but not confined, to arts and culture) to address issues of contemporary import. Whether regarding gender inequality in so-called STEM education; the impact of race in the context of cultural awareness, understanding, and appreciation; or the merging of creative and scientific approaches to the challenge of environmental sustainability, the Director’s Dialogue on Art and Social Change is meant to provoke lively and spirited debate across multiple disciplines regarding the most pressing issues of our time.”

The morning of the dialogue, David Buckland will meet with students from several local high schools. The annual Director’s Dialogue is made possible in part by a lead endowment gift from an anonymous donor. It was designed to explore the role of the arts as a springboard for discourse on contemporary issues and act as a catalyst for social change.

Major support for the Wexner Center’s 2009–10 educational season is generously provided by Battelle. All education programs and events also receive support from the Corporate Annual Fund of the Wexner Center Foundation and Wexner Center members, as well as from the Greater Columbus Arts Council, The Columbus Foundation, Nationwide Foundation, and the Ohio Arts Council.