Press Release: Our changing climate through the lens of all-women artists in the Mother Earth exhibition
Image: Nani Chacon; Coyote and Badger Join the Earth and the Sky and Make a Friendship for Life, 2022; Courtesy of artist
MOTHER EARTH
An Exhibition of more than 30 Artworks by 18 Artists showcases the critical role of artists in shaping the climate narrative; On View June 13, 20, and 27 and July 11, 2024.
The Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy is partnering with Virginia Shore and Sarah Tanguy to present a groundbreaking multimedia exhibition by some of the most seasoned women artists around the world. Mother Earth will fill Meridian’s Cafritz Galleries at the historic White-Meyer House with an engaging array of drawings, paintings, textiles, works on paper, photographs, sculptures, installations, and videos to highlight the stark reality of the climate crisis through the vision of women artists on June 13, 20, and 27 and July 11, 2024.
“The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat; it is a stark reality that demands our immediate attention. Our planet is undergoing unprecedented changes that include rising global temperatures and sea levels, extreme weather events, and the loss of biodiversity. In a time when the enormity of this crisis can be overwhelming, art provides a means to process and channel our emotions, engendering a sense of ownership and empowerment,” shared Shore and Tanguy.
By confronting uncomfortable truths through artistic expression, curators Shore and Tanguy and Mother Earth artists create the foundation for a deeper connection to the environment, a greater sense of urgency to protect our natural world, and a more holistic vision for a sustainable future.
Artists with work on view in Mother Earth include:
- Ana Teresa Barboza
- Andrea Bowers
- Kate Capshaw
- Nanibah “Nani” Chacon (Diné)
- Rebecca Clark
- Ariamna Contino
- Elsabé Johnson Dixon
- Liza Faktor
- Bienvenue Fotso
- Bea Fremderman
- Erica Gajewski
- Jenny Holzer
- Katie Kehoe
- Maya Lin
- Cynthia Minet
- Neha Misra | नेहा मिश्रा
- Lisa Tubach
- Marie Watt (Seneca)
"Mother Earth is not merely an exhibition; it's a catalyst for change. It reinforces artists as agents of transformation, driving constructive dialogue and inspiring action. This exhibition serves as both a way to amplify voices for climate action and pave the way towards a greener, more resilient world, but also showcase the power artists have in shaping narratives that address global challenges,” shared TK Harvey, Vice President of the Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy.
“With great passion and poetry, the artists in Mother Earth deftly balance destruction, beauty, and regeneration, rekindling our sense of hope and wonder and inspiring us to face the climate crisis anew,” notes Tanguy.
Mother Earth is generously underwritten by Stephanie and Mark Robinson and is part of a suite of cultural diplomacy programming in Meridian’s 2024 calendar and the 10th anniversary of the Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy. On June 5, Meridian will launch its 4th annual Culturefix program that begins with a slate of cultural diplomacy conversations and evening awards celebration, co-chaired by Sarah Arison and Sue Hostetler Wrigley and artistic co-chairs Luke Frazier and Robert Pullen. Awardees this year include artist Jeffrey Gibson, musicians Gloria and Emilio Estefan, and athlete Lorrie Fair. Additional events include an Artist Talk on June 13 featuring Neha Misra and Andrea Bowers in conversation with Sarah Tanguy, generously underwritten by Lugano Diamonds, and on June 20, a contemporary dance performance with Washington, DC-based dance ensemble Company E, with support from the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities. Mother Earth will be the third exhibition under the Culturefix umbrella with 2023 hosting the For Freedoms artist collective including Hank Willis Thomas and 2021 hosting a solo exhibition of Fred Tomaselli. Meridian will also be co-hosting an Artist Talk featuring Jeffrey Gibson (Choctaw/Cherokee) with the Hirshhorn on Tuesday, June 4, at 7:00 PM at the Ring Auditorium.
LOCATION
Artist Talk with Neha Misra in conversation with Sarah Tanguy
June 13, 2024, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
White-Meyer House, 1624 Crescent Place NW, Washington, DC 20009
Climate Dance Performance by Company E
June 20, 2024, 6:00-8:00 PM
White-Meyer House, 1624 Crescent Place, NW, Washington, DC 20009
Open Gallery Nights
June 27 and July 11, 2024, 6:00 – 9:00 PM
White-Meyer House, 1624 Crescent Place NW, Washington, DC 20009
Culturefix
June 5, 2024
Conversations – 8:30 – 12:30 PM; Awards Dinner – 6:00 – 9:30 PM (Tickets for Purchase)
White-Meyer House, 1624 Crescent Place NW, Washington, DC 20009
PRESS COVERAGE
High-resolution press images are available upon request. Press interested in covering the June 13th Artist Talk or the June 5th Conversations or Awards Dinner must contact Danielle Najjar dnajjar@meridian.org by May 27 to apply for credentials.
ABOUT MERIDIAN INTERNATIONAL CENTER AND OUR CULTURAL DIPLOMACY WORK
Meridian International Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan diplomacy center that has worked for over 60 years to connects leaders through culture and collaboration to drive solutions for complex challenges facing their organizations, communities, and countries with the vision that greater understanding and collaboration between the United States and the world leads to a more secure, prosperous future. Over 180 current and former heads of state are alumni of our programs, including former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, UN Secretary General António Guterres, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, among many others. When leaders return home and implement change, the impact of Meridian’s programs is amplified across numerous arenas, including women and girls’ empowerment, business and trade, human and civil rights, and energy and the environment.
The Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy is the leading center in the United States that employs the arts and culture as a tool of diplomacy and cross-cultural understanding. From the legendary Jazz Ambassadors program featuring music greats such as Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Sarah Vaughan who toured the world to promote a positive view of the United States when Cold War tensions were at their height to today’s Hip Hop Diplomacy program that helps transform conflict in countries across the globe, Meridian has connected people and helped bridge divides for more than 60 years. We work in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, our American embassies abroad as well as the diplomatic community here in Washington, DC, to develop and curate exhibitions, exchanges and programs that range from film screenings to mural arts programs to music performances. Our programs have reached millions of people in more than 310 cities in at least 80 countries worldwide.