Enviro-Art
Exhibition 2023
ABOUT
The Enviro-Art Gallery is a space where artists and audiences can come together in community around, appreciation of, and responsibility for the environment. Utilizing a variety of artistic styles, the gallery works to provide a relatable entry into environmental awareness and activism, make space for reflection and inspiration surrounding nature, and celebrate the beauty of Mother Earth while highlighting our anthropogenic threats.
This year's theme, Protecting our Home, is an opportunity to showcase the beauty of the ecosystems in your home, to connect us around our home at Duke, and tell the story of our collective home- Earth. It attempts to connect people to places, ecosystems, and experiences of nature through engaging visual dialogues.
Call to Action
This exhibition presents art as a call to action: how can you engage with the environment, with your home, moving forward? As you walk through the gallery, enjoy the beauty of the artists' talents and the scenes they represent, but also think about how you would represent your home. What are the things you appreciate most? What are the biggest threats? How have the ecosystems around your home shaped you, and how have you shaped them? How can you Protect our Home?
History
2017 - James River High School, Midlothian, VA: Started by Cameron Oglesby; consisted of 100+ pieces submitted by two high schools, a presentation from a professor at the University of Richmond on the role of environmentalism as a peace building tool, and 90+ attendees who said they left the event truly feeling something for nature.
2018 -​Duke University, North Carolina, NC: Though smaller, this showcase presented 50+ undergraduate, graduate, and professional works to 100+ people on Abele residential quad, promoting environmental awareness at Duke University on April 22nd.
2019 - Duke University, North Carolina, NC: Consisted of a month-long exhibit of 50+ pieces in Duke’s Rubenstein Arts Center in April, a large reception in Duke’s Rubenstein Arts Center Lounge, and a “Ruby Friday” Talk on the role of art as an environmental call to action. The relationship between the environment and the arts truly gained traction at Duke after this.
2020 - Bond University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia: Prior to COVID-19, students and community members at Duke picked up the Enviro-Art Gallery for an additional month-long showcase on Duke’s campus. An Enviro-Art Gallery showcase was also set to take place at Bond University, Gold Coast, receiving substantial faculty and community support. Although the showcase has been postponed for this larger global endeavor, students and environmental innovation organizations there have agreed to keep the environmental art movement going in that community through an annual Enviro-Art Gallery showcase and programming.
2021 - Virtual Expansion: During COVID-19, the gallery was moved to a virtual setting, and, despite this obstacle, it showcased over 600 pieces from around the world and hosted 15 guest speakers over the course of a week-long virtual celebration. To view the virtual gallery and the recorded speaker sessions, click here.
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2022 - Duke University, North Carolina, NC: This virtual and in-person gallery welcomed people back to Enviro-Art Gallery with a focus on locality. Artists came from across the Duke and Triangle Community, including from the Marine Lab, DKU, UNC, and more, with art on display in the Ruby Lounge at Duke's Rubenstein Arts Center for the month of April, with a grand opening event. To view the virtual gallery, click here.
Organizers
This year's Enviro-Art Exhibition was a collaboration between undergraduate and graduate student organizations. The Undergraduate Environmental Union and the Duke Conservation Society worked together to plan this event with the support of the Graduate and Professional Student Government, the Duke Student Government, the Student Organization Finance Committee, and the Nicholas School of the Environment.
Duke Conservation Society
Duke Conservation Society is a student group within the Nicholas School of the Environment.
We focus our efforts on exploring contemporary conservation issues and providing resources for
students and future conservationists to create solutions to our natural world’s most pressing
problems.
DCS E-Board
President -- Erin Keleske
Vice President -- Kelly Bruno
Treasurer -- Lucas Morgenstern
Communications Coordinator -- Clara Fast
Events Coordinator -- Juliana Carvalho
Beaufort Representative -- Britney Pepper
International Representative -- Nanditha Ram Satagopan
First-Year Representative -- Gabriel Campos
GPSG:
Michelle Carter
Undergraduate Environmental Union
Duke Conservation Society is a student group within the Nicholas School of the Environment.
We focus our efforts on exploring contemporary conservation issues and providing resources for
students and future conservationists to create solutions to our natural world’s most pressing
problems.
UEU Board
President -- Isabel Wood
Vice President -- Emily Nagamoto
Treasurer -- Fareed Mohideen
Communications Team -- Jilly Senk, Ava Leaphart, Chloe Brenner
Environmental Justice Team -- Nicole Bolton, Ariel Chukwuma
Administrative Lead -- Yujin Kim
Board Member Lead -- Anya Dias-Hawkins
Project Interns -- Sarah Porter, Coral Lin, Nikki Read
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