Partnerships for Climate Action: The Climate Museum Celebrates World Oceans Day

On Monday June 8, Die Climate Museum welcomed nearly two hundred attendees to the LMCC Arts Center at Governors Island for a World Oceans Day climate celebration. Presented by The New York Climate Exchange, The Climate Museum, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), MET Orchestra Musicians, Ta Ao Mana, and American Modern Opera Company (AMOC*), along with financial support from Hydro Quebec Energy Services and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, this gathering was a profound meditation on the beauty and importance of water in and around us. The celebration was a call to action to protect that which sustains all life.

Crossing The Channel

Attendees traveling to the event caught the 5:45pm ferry across the waters of the Upper New York Bay for an eight-minute boat ride over to the landing dock at Governor’s Island – an opportunity to commune and reflect on water and nature at the onset. After disembarking, The Climate Museum visitors entered the LMCC Arts Center and ascended the stairs to the upper level to find their seats. The exhibition space was open, vast, and populated with banks of windows overlooking the island and the waterscape with the New York City skyline in the distance.

As the country’s first museum devoted entirely to climate change, The Climate Museum is deeply committed to offering visitors a culturally enriching experience that educates, sparks critical thinking, and inspires action. Attendees received climate conversation cards upon entering the space and the convening began with a simple prompt: turn to someone in the room you did not know, choose one of three climate conversation starters on the card, and talk openly for five minutes. Following this climate discussion, the program included a thoughtful mixture of dance, performance, orchestral music, environmental practitioners and artists engaged in dialogue, interactive ritual, and a call to climate action.

A Climate Exchange

Attendees were oriented into the space by Moe Yousuf, President & CEO of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Center (LMCC). LMCC, an organization which serves to connect and foster dialogue to create a more just, equitable, and sustainable society, has been deeply engaged with the New York Climate Exchange to build a global hub for climate research, education, and innovation on Governors Island. Here, some of the world’s most promising climate solutions will be developed at speed and scale.

Miranda Massie, director and founder of The Climate Museum, moderated a panel discussion between Anthony Aiu, Artistic Director of Te Ao Mana, and Leslie Wayne, a prominent NYC environmental artist, about the intersectionality of climate art and climate action. Throughout the evening, musicians from the MET Orchestra took the stage to play orchestral string pieces which evoked the sounds of the ocean. Polynesian dancers Emily Callejo and Madilyne-Nguyen Acosta performed indigenous dance ritual celebrating the vital importance of water. Afterward, together with Anthony Aiu, they led the entire congregation in an interactive dance workshop celebrating our innate connection with the ocean and its currents.

To conclude the evening, Vicki Cerullo, Director of Urban Engagement of the New York Climate Exchange, thanked everyone for coming and challenged the attendees to carry the momentum forward by taking action, getting involved in civic advocacy, and talking about climate change. Research shows that most people vastly underestimate how much others care about climate change which can lead to silence and inaction due to a sense of isolation. Having climate conversations can be one of the most important actions we take as individuals and institutions to bring people together. Finding connections, telling stories, and making climate change personal can inspire people to embrace climate realities and take deeper mitigative action for a brighter future.

Takeaways

A rich tapestry of New York City partnerships made this event possible. The Climate Museum, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, The New York Climate Exchange, MET Orchestra Musicians, Ta Ao Mana, and American Modern Opera Company (AMOC*) were able to coalesce their resources, networks, and unique essences into a shared vision of community empowerment, dialogue, celebration, and climate action. This multi-stakeholder platform is a structure which all institutions can emulate in their regions to spark deeper engagement and tangible local climate action. Find the partners in your neighborhood, share your vision, invite them to a seat at the table, and together, see what kind of action you can inspire through collective effort.