SALEM (CBS) – If you head to the Peabody-Essex Museum over the next few months, you’ll find yourself looking at all kinds of very unique art.
Curator for the Climate Action: Inspiring Change Exhibit Jane Winchell says they’ll be looking at climate and environment from a variety of different perspectives.
Twenty-eight artists of all ages, from Massachusetts and beyond, contributed pieces with the same subject — our changing climate.
Winchell says that art speaks to people in ways that statistics or reports can’t. “It’s so important connecting with people at an emotional level. Helping them see this issue in a different way,” she said.
The museum sees Earth Day as an opportunity for raising awareness for a topic that is otherwise difficult to discuss.
“There are many known solutions and a lot of people are feeling in despair about the current situation. There are things we can do at this moment,” said Winchell.
It’s time to reexamine our impact on climate change using the food pyramid. Rubber replicas of food items, such as soup, French fries and hamburgers, are displayed. The weight of the items corresponds to the carbon footprint required to make them.
The exhibit features a variety of mediums, including watercolors and almost Lego-like buildings. Jill Pelto, a Worcester-native artist, is one example of some of the names you might recognize. WBZ featured her in its “Da Vinci of Data Art” story last year.
The museum has a total of four climate-themed exhibitions, including “Down to the Bone”, a glimpse at polar bears and the increasing difficulty to hunt. There is even an exhibit outside called “The Blue Trees”, meant to spur discussion on the role trees play in our environment.
Winchell valued the diversity of mediums displayed in the four exhibits. “No piece of artwork will relate to everyone. [It’s important] to find something that resonates with you,” she said.
The Climate Action: Inspiring Change exhibition will be open until June.
