San Francisco-based Natural World Museum to Present Environmental Exhibit in Oslo in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme.
Envisioning Change: Melting Ice – A Hot Topic exhibit at Nobel Peace Center is highlight of UN World Environment Day Activities in Norwegian Capital on 5 June
Queen Sonja of Norway Contributes Artwork to Environmental Exhibit
7 May 2007 – San Francisco, CA: Melting ice is a hot topic, and no where will the issue be hotter than in Oslo, Norway on UN World Environment Day – 5 June when the San Francisco-based Natural World Museum ( www.artintoaction.org ) presents its landmark Envisioning Change: Melting Ice – A Hot Topic exhibition at the invitation of the United Nation’s Environment Programme and sponsored by Northern California’s Autodesk, a world leader in 2D and 3D design software. The exhibit will launch at Oslo’s Nobel Peace Center, with regional support from the Norwegian Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Culture, and remain on display through the end of August. The exhibit will continue on to the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium from October - December 2007 and on to Monaco and Chicago in 2008. More than 40 international artists from 25 countries are featured in the exhibit which explores such questions as “What is climate change?” “What are the political implications?” “How does sustainable development create a pathway to peace?” and “Why should we care?”

“World Environment Day is not just a one-day effort,” said Mia Hanak, Founding Executive Director of the Natural World Museum and an increasingly visible environmental arts activist on the world stage. “June 5 is the day we call attention to an effort that is continuous, year-round and crucial to life on this planet. The topic of climate change from a global perspective is the number one issue facing our planet today. Artists have a unique role in being at the forefront of this worldwide campaign – the transformative power of art can inspire environmental awareness and action.”

Transcending the traditional museum venue, the Natural World Museum is a mobile and global institution inspiring sustainable culture to broad and diverse audiences. During the next year, Hanak and her team will be traveling internationally, using their exhibit to spark dialogue, not just about climate change, but also about attitudinal change. The current exhibit, Envisioning Change, is part of the Natural World Museum’s ongoing Art for the Environment Initiative in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). This initiative is designed to utilize the universal language of art as a catalyst to unite people in action and thought and to empower individuals, communities, and leaders to focus on environmental values across social, economic, and political realms.

Art for the Environment exhibits feature an eclectic mix of painting, sculpture, photography, multimedia and conceptual installations. Each year for World Environment Day, five artists, one in each of these categories, are awarded the Green Leaf Artist Award during the exhibit opening reception. These artists’ work demonstrates artistic excellence and also shows us the human relationship with nature that makes the environmental message come alive.

“The effects of climate change are taking place on a global level, from the Andes to the Arctic, from Africa to Asia to America,” said Envisioning Change Curator, Randy Rosenberg. “While the impacts are vast and growing, we've asked 40 artists from around the world to focus on just one dimension: the thawing and melting of the ice caps and permafrost, and the implications for humans and other species.”

In addition to these 40 works of art, the exhibit features two artistic photographs (one from the Arctic and one from Spitsbergen) contributed by HRH Queen Sonja of Norway, an avid environmentalist and an experienced curator. Artists from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Serbia, USA, Spain, England, Peru, Croatia, Wales, New Zealand, Japan, Argentina and more, are participating in Envisioning Change, including Alfio Bonanno, Fred Ivar Utsi Klemetsen, Jonas Liverod, Laura Horelli, Lucy Orta, Mona Hatoum, Subhankar Banerjee, David Nash, Dalibor Martinis, David Buckland, Yoshiaki Kaihatsu, David Trubridge, Helen Mayer Harrison and Newton Harrison, Gary Hume, Robert Bateman, David and Hi-Jin Hodge, and dozens more.

“Autodesk is honored to be supporting the Natural World Museum and the UN Environmental Programme through this important international exhibition, Envisioning Change” said Carl Bass, president and CEO of Autodesk. “Together we will further the dialogue on smart growth in a sustainable world, and demonstrate the critical role design can play.”

Climate change refers to the rise in the earth's average surface temperature, also known as global warming. In the case of our global climate, change can require organisms and organizations alike to adapt to new and shifting conditions. And it can require the transformation of society’s mindset — of actions and habits which must change, individually and collectively, for a more sustainable future.

“This is an important exhibition for the Nobel Peace Center” stated Bente Erichsen, Director of the Nobel Peace Center. “It clearly shows how the climate changes we are all surrounded by have direct impact on world security, and therefore on peace. The wide variety of artistic expressions on display effectively states that the earth’s climate affects all of us.”

The launch celebration on 5 June will include a noontime parade with 2,000 children; a book release and artist signing of NWM and UNEP’s Art in Action – Nature, Creativity, and Our Collective Future; an evening exhibit reception with environmental celebrities, featuring honorary guest, Dr. Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2004, who personifies the link between peace, environment, and culture. The event will culminate with an outdoor concert featuring cultural and musical performances. All Art for the Environment activities employ sustainable business practices, including zero waste, recycled products, and carbon offsets through tree planting programs.

NWM utilizes the universal language of art as a catalyst to inspire and engage the public in environmental awareness and action. In order to reach broad and diverse audiences, NWM provides an innovative platform through its international curatorial program, empowering exhibit visitors worldwide with enlightening experiences to help advance local and global conservation efforts.

UNEP is the world’s leading environmental agency and environmental arm of the United Nations, providing leadership and encouraging partnerships for conservation efforts by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations to improve quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

Commemorated each year on June 5th, WED is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. Each year, for the past 30 years, a different country hosts the international celebration.