“To be silent is not neutral”: Curating collective action at The Climate Museum

Anais Reyes and Dilshanie Perera in conversation with Katharina Anzengruber and Elke Zobl

The Climate Museum’s 2019 exhibition, Taking Action, on Governors Island. Photos by Lisa Goulet (top two), Sari Goodfriend (bottom left), and Edward Watkins (bottom right).

The Climate Museum’s 2019 exhibition, Taking Action, on Governors Island. Photos by Lisa Goulet (top two), Sari Goodfriend (bottom left), and Edward Watkins (bottom right).

DP: It feels like the action room from Taking Action has informed every program that’s followed since then, and we build an action ask into all of our programs, campaigns, and events. Something else that orients our work is the “Know, Feel, Do” framework coined by the artist, designer, and theorist Sloan Leo. They asked us, “What is it that you want your audience to know? What is it that you want your audience to feel? And what is it that you want your audience to do?” This gives us three concrete pillars in planning each program to then reflect on what the most important takeaways are for our audience. The arts have the unique ability to get you to feel something emotionally and viscerally, to be really inspired. And the third piece of the framework (the “Do” of “Know-Feel-Do”) is crucial for us: what pathways can we offer people for taking action? We think of these actions specifically in terms of civic or collective actions, thus being able to think of yourself and your political engagement beyond individual consumption and highlighting the power of community and the collective. Being able to create these shifts starts by simply having a conversation. You don’t have to be an expert on climate science, you can start from right where you are or your own experience, and that’s good enough. We can build on that together.

You mentioned collaborations with artists, the role of art, and the importance of art for you. I’m thinking about the road sign series on your website. In your talk earlier this year, you also mentioned the digital action board where people could write their own messages on these signs. We’re also trying to build collaborations like that—could you tell us more about how you approach them? How do you get to know the artists and work with them in general?

One of the ten road signs installed across New York City for Climate Signals by Justin Brice Guariglia. Photo by Lisa Goulet.

One of the ten road signs installed across New York City for Climate Signals by Justin Brice Guariglia. Photo by Lisa Goulet.

Dilshanie Perera, Anais Reyes, Katharina Anzengruber, Elke Zobl ( 2021): “To be silent is not neutral”: Curating collective action at The Climate Museum. Anais Reyes and Dilshanie Perera in conversation with Katharina Anzengruber and Elke Zobl. In: p/art/icipate – Kultur aktiv gestalten # 12 , https://www.p-art-icipate.net/to-be-silent-is-not-neutral-curating-collective-action-at-the-climate-museum/