Mother Earth Gallery Nights

Summary

By confronting the stark realities of the climate crisis, artists can foster a deeper connection to the natural world—highlighting the capacity of art to inspire change, create dialogue, and motivate collective action towards a sustainable future. The Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy recently concluded its Mother Earth art exhibition, which ran on the evenings of June 13, 20, 27, and July 11, 2024. This groundbreaking multimedia showcase, curated by Virginia Shore and Sarah Tanguy, featured over 30 artworks by 18 distinguished women artists from around the world. Held in the Cafritz Galleries at the historic White-Meyer House, Mother Earth aimed to highlight the critical role of women artists in shaping the climate narrative through a diverse array of drawings, paintings, textiles, photographs, sculptures, installations, and videos.

On the exhibition's June 13 opening, an Artist Talk brought together Neha Misra and Andrea Bowers in conversation with curators Virginia Shore and Sarah Tanguy, providing insights into the critical messages behind their works and the ability of artists to mobilize communities to protect our planet. This event was generously underwritten by Lugano Diamonds. On June 20, Washington, DC-based dance ensemble Company E performed a contemporary dance piece that vividly interpreted the themes of the exhibition throughout its various galleries, this performance was supported by the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities.

Generously underwritten by Stephanie and Mark Robinson, the Mother Earth art exhibition is part of Meridian’s suite of cultural diplomacy programming, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy. This exhibition continues Meridian’s legacy of leveraging the arts to foster cross-cultural understanding and collaboration, bridging divides and addressing global challenges through creative expression.

Curatorial Statement

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. The exhibition Mother Earth considers these pressing issues through the vision of women artists. Ranging from drawings, paintings, textiles, works on paper, photographs to sculptures, installations, and video, the featured works harness the power of art to evoke emotions, spark conversations, and inspire meaningful action. By confronting this uncomfortable truth through artistic expression, together we can foster 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. - Virginia Shore and Sarah Tanguy

Featured Artists

• 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) 

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.