ART AND CLIMATE ACTION IN MIAMI
A climate crisis is unraveling in Miami, but you almost wouldn’t know it from the weather today. It’s almost spring in Miami, and the sun is out. Not a single cloud to split the spotless blue of sky reflected by the lulling ocean. For many decades, it was a mostly silent crisis — one we collectively learned to either deny or ignore to increasingly great peril. Whether blinded by the glare and glint of unchecked ‘growth’ and ‘development’, or ensnared by the powerful web of convenience, many of us stuck our head in the sand, hoping the sun would stop burning if we stopped seeing its light, sheltered behind tinted windows on our daily commute to work.
Yet now whole blocks flood after the mildest rain. Hurricanes intensify every season. Wildfires devastate whole regions, and temperatures continue to rise. The crisis no longer looms on the horizon. It is here, and we can no longer afford to cover the sun with a finger. The sea may be calm and abiding, but it rises nonetheless and threatens to take us with it. The signs are all around us. Many have been seeing them for decades. Will our community come together to confront this challenge?
We believe the answer is yes. The groundswell is undeniable, bolstered by an expansive movement of activists, organizations, and individuals who have been working for years on raising awareness and responding to climate change in South Florida. Their work has pushed the conversation forward and shifted the climate culture. The crisis has taken the center stage, and our times are ripe for change.
Within this rising wave, we at MDC Live Arts are mobilizing around the vital role that artists stand to play as potent catalysts for awareness and action around the environmental challenges we face.
That is why in 2019 we launched the ECOCultura initiative, a series of performances for the planet – dynamic theater, dance, and music events with the power to spark action, advocacy, and dialogue around global environmental shifts and their local repercussions.
Up next in the series is the Miami premiere of The Truth Has Changed, a live solo performance for climate action by Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox, creator of Gasland, the documentary that made “fracking” a household word. Direct from New York’s Public Theatre to Downtown Miami, Fox’s riveting performance captures our world in crisis as only he could—from the very frontlines, and with no holds barred. Performances run from March 13 to March 22. Every show will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with the artist, moderated by two local organizations working for social and climate justice.
Then save the date for ECOCultura Fest, a free community festival where art meets climate action. On April 18, the festival will gather organizations and artists working for climate justice in South Florida at the historic Virginia Key Beach Park for an all-day, action-driven, program of exciting events and activities, including live performances, community dialogues, art activations, local music and food, hands-on service opportunities, and so much more.
It’s your chance to join the rising wave of climate action and celebrate art’s role in our changing world.
Will you take it?
