This package of over 30 graphics was produced as part of the exhibition Collective Communities: Actions on Environmental Crises at the Weinberg/Newton Gallery in Chicago. Click to the right to download high-res versions of all of the images, and you can see them individually below.
The 20 artists included in this package are: Fiona Avocado, Melanie Cervantes, Marina Contreras, William Estrada, Sarah Farahat, Aaron Hughes, Sanya Hyland, Kill Joy, Damon Locks, Josh MacPhee, Dylan A.T. Miner, Roger Peet, Gilda Posada, Jesse Purcell, Pete Railand, Erik Ruin, Jess X. Snow, David Solnit, Meredith Stern, and Bec Young. This graphics package was organized by Josh MacPhee.
A comic strip style features nine panels. Title states: CLIMATE CHAOS: INHOSPITABLE TO ALL. Panels feature the following: Increase in Greenhouse Gases; Rising Global Temperatures; Raging Forest Fires; Endangered Plant Species, (Quiver Tree, Aloe dichotama); Melting Sea Ice (and a Polar Bear); Creature Extinction (Golden Toad, Bufo periglenes); Sinking Islands (and headstones); Coral Bleaching; Flooded Cities.
We see the back of a woman as she raises her arm and holds braided sweetgrass in the air. An eagle flies in the distance above a large body of water. Text below: PROTECT THE WATER: DEFEND THE LAND.
A Chicana woman with braids stands against a nopal cactus holding different fruits and vegetables, corn, maize. On her black t-shirt is written “XICANX”. Red and black lettering, among red and yellow patterning, states: “RECLAIMING OUR HEALTH BY RECONNECTING TO THE EARTH.”
We see the back of an indigenous woman as she lifts her left arm with a smudge stick in her hand. The words “Protect our Water” rises like smoke from the smudge stick, against a background of a map of the earth. She sits with blue robes around her and which turns into water. A long quote from the song “Take Me to the Water” by Nina Simone is handwritten in the water.
Black, Red and Turquoise image. Left, Upper middle and right reads “Protect Sacred Waters” in Turquoise block text. Bottom reads “Stop Line 3” in Red. The red square in the middle features an image of birds eye view of water with wild rice and a person in a canoe with braids turning into wild rice, holding a ricing stick that is breaking a pipeline.
A line of striking workers marches, wearing yellow safety vests and holding picket signs. They are mostly Black and Brown young people. The front sign states: “GREEN NEW DEAL”. Small text at the bottom: “Earth Day to MayDay 2020.”
A futuristic scene where people walk and play in the outdoors along a seashore. In the distance a city’s skyline. The sun radiates to a solar panel on a nearby building. The foreground is covered with diverse animals and plant life, coral, insects.
A simple black and white portrait of a young Black boy. In red lettering above and below is stated: “Fight for My Future.”
A simple black and white portrait of a young Latina girl. In red lettering above and below, in Spanish: “Lucha por mi Future.”
A small house or grass hut is being carried by a group of people working together in this linocut black and white image. “BAYANIHAN” is written on the roof of the building. “El ESPIRITU DE COOPERACION Y UNIDAD COMUNAL” is written below.
A city, urban scene shows two portraits of black women using medical face masks. In the middle of the scene the words: “LET’S SHOW UP FOR EACH OTHER.”
A two-toned green circular graphic featuring two long arms with hands on either side, grasping each other. Inside the text: GROW HEALTHY COMMUNITIES.
A pipeline monster in the shape of an “S” bares its teeth and claws. Below the text: NO PIPELINES ON INDIGENOUS LAND.
A two-toned blue linocut graphic featuring people and cars flying through the air as strong winds blow palm trees. The text: CLIMATE STRIKE frames the scene.
A detailed linocut in dark blue featuring a cross-section ocean scene. Above the water is an island, clouds, and birds. Below the water we see the island continues into the shape of an anatomically-correct heart. There are sharks and a dark seascape.
A vibrant graphic in a gradient of yellow to orange. In black a linocut image of two salmon jumping. Text states: IT’S NOT OVER YET. NO L.N.G. FOR PEOPLE, FOR WATER, FOR SALMON, FOR THE FUTURE.
A black and white T. Rex grabs a broken oil pipeline in its fanged maw. Oil spills. Text states: PIPELINES ARE SO OVER!
A multi-colored corn is centered in this image. A pattern of brown hands and red flower shapes circle around the maize. Purple hand-drawn lettering above states: HONORING INDIGENOUS AND EARTH RELATIONSHIPS IS CLIMATE JUSTICE.
A bright yellow sunflower has the words, “CLIMATE JUSTICE” in the middle.
The Lakota phrase “Mni Wiconi” is featured at the top of this image. A heavy blue cloud drops rain below. A black and white field is ready to receive the water. More text states: “WATER IS LIFE” below.
A field of arms holds up yellow sunflowers. In the foreground the largest sunflower makes the “O” in the word “NOW”.
Red hands, traced with dark red vein-like patterns, push back against a blue tsunami wave, also detailed with darker triangular patterns.
“LONG LIVE OUR 4 BILLION YEAR-OLD MOTHER,” is handwritten next to a silhouette of a feminine face which is made of black tree roots and yellow and red flowers.
A spray-painted stencil graphic of a sun with the word “CLIMATE” inside, and the word “JUSTICE!” below. In bright yellow and red.
A spray-painted stencil graphic in black, written on an angle, states: “END FRACKING. RENEWABLE 100%”
This hand-cut lettering graphic states: “GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE. STRIKE BECAUSE THE KIDS HAVE ASKED US TO BACK THEM UP. STRIKE BECAUSE THE EARTH IS HEATING SO FAST. STRIKE FOR A GREEN NEW DEAL. STRIKE BECAUSE EXXON KNEW WAY BACK WHEN. STRIKE BECAUSE SOLAR POWER IS SO CHEAP NOW. STRIKE BECAUSE THOSE WHO CAUSED THE LEAST SUFFER THE MOST. STRIKE BECAUSE IT’S A SWEET PLANET. STRIKE BECAUSE.”
A house-shaped graphic where a large window is the Earth. White text on black is a quote by Greta Thunberg: “I WANT YOU TO ACT AS IF OUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE. BECAUSE IT IS.” Small red flames are peeking out around the house.
“KEEP IT IN THE GROUND” is in bold black text, while a black hand points toward the ground.
Bold text states: “PROECT OUR CLIMATE, WATER AND HEALTH.” A blue band of water waves is placed behind “water.”
A complex green and brown woodcut of an urban and rural scene where people ride bikes, take the bus, have a farmers market in the background. Crops are growing and two people preparing food in the foreground. Hand-carved text throughout reads: “TAKING CARE OF THE EARTH IS TAKING CARE OF OURSELVES. Grow your own vegetables, support co-op businesses, walk, bike, take public transit, become a vegetarian/vegan, support local farmers, use solar/wind power, compost, reuse, recycle, boycott big corporations.” “Sixteen percent of the worlds wealthiest populations including the U.S., Japan, and Europe consumes eighty percent of the worlds resources. There are currently over one billion malnourished people in the world.”
A young Black boy crouches down to place some bricks. Flowers grow behind him. An urban skyline in the background.
A busy scene in an urban garden in turquoise green, black, and off-white. People cooperate to dig, share seeds, plant trees, surrounded by sunflowers and raised beds.
