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On 2 & 3 March 2023, Whitechapel Gallery and Gallery Climate Coalition hosted a two-day symposium tackling the critical environmental issues facing the UK’s public arts institutions.
The event featured voices from leading visual arts and environmental organisations as well as change-makers beyond the sector, including Just Stop Oil spokesperson Emma Brown, Director of Tate Modern Frances Morris, and the founder and CEO of Julie’s Bicycle, Alison Tickell, concluding with a performance from Love Ssega.
Read the full programme here.
This page is designed to be an evolving hub, bringing together films of the event, opportunities for local action and climate justice, and key resources shared across the two days.
Following the event, the Gallery Climate Coalition has created a Decarbonisation Action Plan specific to the public sector, which builds on the topics, conversations and questions raised during the symposium. This includes step by step recommendations on meeting emission reduction targets, alongside specific guidance on climate control, exhibition design, shipping, loan agreements, digital emissions and insurance implications. You can find the Action Plan here.
Follow the links below to access footage from each speaker and helpful resources relating to the topics in question.
Opening statement by event host and GCC co-founder, Louisa Buck and Areeba Hamid, Co-Executive Director of Greenpeace UK
A panel discussion addressing the issues of climate control systems in storage facilities and exhibition spaces.
A presentation on lower impact exhibition making as a driver for change at an institutional level.
A keynote presentation on the reality of Net Zero Targets for non-profit organisations.
A panel discussion on the localised impacts of the climate crisis, air pollution, environmental racism & climate justice, and the role of arts institutions and creatives in addressing these issues.
A panel discussion on the urgent need for climate action and the spectrum of approaches activists take.
An address on the implications of doughnut economics on culture, exploring how we move away from a growth model towards a regenerative, distributive and thriving sector.
Visual Scribe: Jasmine Shanice.
