Planet Earth, the Environment and Our Future

An Exhibition of Art and Science Looking at the Beauty and Fragility of Our World

Exhibition Open March 19 – May 1, 2022* at the WaterFire Arts Center
Exhibition Hours – Wednesday-Sunday 10 am – 5 pm
Open late until 9 pm Thursdays and Fridays
*The exhibition will be closed from Monday, March 28 to Tuesday, April 5, 2022 for a ticketed event.

Opening Reception + Artist Talk will be held on Saturday, March 19, 2022, from 4:00 – 8:00 pm.

Planet Earth, the Environment and Our Future is made possible through the generous support of the NASA Rhode Island Space Grant Consortium; Kathleen and Barry Hittner; the University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography; Brown University; and the Roger Williams Park Zoo. Refreshments and catering at the opening reception sponsored by Plant City.

Experience Luke Jerram’s Gaia, a massive 23’ diameter depiction of the entire Earth that creates a sense of the “overview effect” that has often been reported by astronauts who sense a “cognitive shift” in their perception of the fragile “blue marble” “hanging in the void” of space. Gaia was featured at the recent UN Glasgow Summit and features imagery from NASA. Joan Hall is presenting her luminous, engaging, and massive work Algae Bloom. Richard Friedberg has six of his astonishing and mesmerizing large sculptures of atmospheric phenomena from a tidal wave to a 21’ tall tornado. Judy Chicago, one of the founders of Ecofeminism, has recently returned to revisit this work with three bold, new editions from 2022. Dennis Hlynsky has created a new technique to capture birds in flight with wondrous results and much more.

The Earth in its beauty and majesty has long fascinated artists and scientists of all cultures, inspiring their work. Both use vision to understand the empirical facts of the real world – and use imagery again to convey their ideas and conclusions. This exhibition of art and science presents over thirty spectacular artworks by contemporary artists that expand upon the interconnected nature of the world – the exhibition also includes historical art, photographs, and objects from several cultures stretching across the continents and spanning two centuries; tracing some of the Rhode Island connections to this larger story of discovery and exploration. 

Planet Earth, the Environment and Our Future also includes a visual overview of the roots and development of the climate crisis with scientific observations between 1826, when the use of coal was first foreseen as a possible threat to mankind, up to our newest efforts to solve the climate crisis, such as the national leadership in offshore wind power development shown with Rhode Island’s Block Island Wind Farm. The exhibition is free for all, donations are encouraged. The WaterFire Arts Center’s hours are Wednesday – Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m; open late until 9:00 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. (The addition of Friday nights is unique to this exhibit.)

Planet Earth, the Environment and Our Future includes works by William Bradford, David Burdeny, Judy Chicago, Richard Friedberg, Joan Hall, Martin Johnson Heade, Katsushika Hokusai, Dennis Hlynsky, Duane Isaac, Luke Jerram, Young Joon Kwak, Sarah Jane Lapp, Janice Lardey, Haley MacKeil, Qing Liu, Joseph E. Yoakum, David Whyte, and Faith Wilding

With special thanks to the many Rhode Island institutions who have helped us create this exhibition including the Providence Public Library Special Collections, RISD Museum of Art, New Bedford Whaling Museum, Rustigian Rugs, Providence Marriott Downtown, Dassault Systèmes, Providence Fire Fighters IAFF local 799, Providence Fire Department, The Providence Journal, The Providence Parks Department, and the Roger Williams Park Museum of Natural History.