If the Sky Were Orange: Art in the Time of Climate Change
Saturday, September 9, 2023 - Sunday, February 11, 2024
This special two-part exhibition explores the history and contemporary urgency of climate-related issues. Guest curated by journalist Jeff Goodell, who has written extensively on the topic, "If the Sky Were Orange" is the first exhibition at the Blanton to explore one topic across several of the museum’s temporary gallery spaces.
The Contemporary Project and Film & Video Gallery feature work by ten contemporary artists addressing how climate change affects life on our planet, from how we create energy to the stability of ice sheets in Antarctica. Texts by Goodell and internationally known scientists and writers from The University of Texas at Austin and beyond interpret the artworks from the perspective of the authors’ specialized knowledge of climate change.
In the museum’s Paper Vault, works selected by Goodell from the Blanton’s collection complement and contextualize the contemporary works on view. Spanning centuries, the featured artworks demonstrate that many of the issues related to climate change today are not new. For example, artists have long addressed how humans both harmonize with nature and grapple with its unpredictable and monumental forces. They have explored energy as both an economic and cultural force, as well as what has been gained and lost by technological progress. While many of these works were not created in response to climate change, Goodell interprets the selections in light of our rapidly changing world.
The exhibition’s title, "If the Sky Were Orange," is inspired by a large painting in the Blanton’s collection by Aaron Morse, "Cloud World (#3)" (2014), which features jarring, hot-orange clouds floating above a massive seascape. Goodell sees the painting as a striking visual metaphor for the greenhouse gases causing rising temperatures on our planet: Were those gases a visible color, he suggests, we would be far more aware of their presence in our atmosphere and thus their consequences for the Earth. A hotter planet and the related rise in sea levels are the two best-known issues around climate change, but the exhibition explores the complex interrelatedness of climate disruption and human knowledge and culture, including such benefits as the advancement of scientific research and related solutions like renewable energy and human and environmental adaptability.
Guest curated by Jeff Goodell. The organizing curator is Carter E. Foster, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs, Blanton Museum of Art, assisted by the curatorial staff and the 2022-2023 Modern and Contemporary Mellon Fellow.
Explore the digital resource for this exhibition with an introduction by Jeff Goodell and navigate through the resources.
"If the Sky Were Orange: Art in the Time of Climate Change" is organized by the Blanton Museum of Art.
Generous funding for this exhibition is provided in part by Suzanne Deal Booth, Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, Jay Hodges and Katya Jestin, and Ellen and David Berman.
Gallery TextThe Contemporary Project and Film & Video Gallery feature work by ten contemporary artists addressing how climate change affects life on our planet, from how we create energy to the stability of ice sheets in Antarctica. Texts by Goodell and internationally known scientists and writers from The University of Texas at Austin and beyond interpret the artworks from the perspective of the authors’ specialized knowledge of climate change.
In the museum’s Paper Vault, works selected by Goodell from the Blanton’s collection complement and contextualize the contemporary works on view. Spanning centuries, the featured artworks demonstrate that many of the issues related to climate change today are not new. For example, artists have long addressed how humans both harmonize with nature and grapple with its unpredictable and monumental forces. They have explored energy as both an economic and cultural force, as well as what has been gained and lost by technological progress. While many of these works were not created in response to climate change, Goodell interprets the selections in light of our rapidly changing world.
The exhibition’s title, "If the Sky Were Orange," is inspired by a large painting in the Blanton’s collection by Aaron Morse, "Cloud World (#3)" (2014), which features jarring, hot-orange clouds floating above a massive seascape. Goodell sees the painting as a striking visual metaphor for the greenhouse gases causing rising temperatures on our planet: Were those gases a visible color, he suggests, we would be far more aware of their presence in our atmosphere and thus their consequences for the Earth. A hotter planet and the related rise in sea levels are the two best-known issues around climate change, but the exhibition explores the complex interrelatedness of climate disruption and human knowledge and culture, including such benefits as the advancement of scientific research and related solutions like renewable energy and human and environmental adaptability.
Guest curated by Jeff Goodell. The organizing curator is Carter E. Foster, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs, Blanton Museum of Art, assisted by the curatorial staff and the 2022-2023 Modern and Contemporary Mellon Fellow.
Explore the digital resource for this exhibition with an introduction by Jeff Goodell and navigate through the resources.
"If the Sky Were Orange: Art in the Time of Climate Change" is organized by the Blanton Museum of Art.
Generous funding for this exhibition is provided in part by Suzanne Deal Booth, Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, Jay Hodges and Katya Jestin, and Ellen and David Berman.
Introduction
Fifteen years ago, while reporting a book about climate change, I was sailing in the North Atlantic on a vessel operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, one of the top ocean research centers in the country. Late one afternoon, as I watched flying fish get airborne beside the ship, I asked one of the scientists who was aboard what he thought it would take to convince people to pay attention to the risks of a warming planet, which is caused by the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In the U.S., according to the Department of Energy, 92% of total man-made carbon dioxide emissions comes from the burning of fossil fuels.
Fifteen years ago, while reporting a book about climate change, I was sailing in the North Atlantic on a vessel operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, one of the top ocean research centers in the country. Late one afternoon, as I watched flying fish get airborne beside the ship, I asked one of the scientists who was aboard what he thought it would take to convince people to pay attention to the risks of a warming planet, which is caused by the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In the U.S., according to the Department of Energy, 92% of total man-made carbon dioxide emissions comes from the burning of fossil fuels.
“If carbon dioxide stained the air purple, people would care,” he said. “They would see the sky turning color, and they would understand how the world is changing. Instead, carbon dioxide is an invisible gas, and it’s all too easy to imagine that nothing is changing.”
Aaron Morse’s Cloud World #3 feels like it was created to illustrate exactly that point. It captures the shock and drama of an orange sky and invites us to imagine how differently we might see our world if carbon dioxide did stain the sky a different color.
This is a show about making climate change visible—if not by painting the sky orange, then by seeing its impact through the eyes of artists.
This exhibition has two parts. The Contemporary Project Gallery and the Film & Video Gallery feature the work of ten artists responding to climate change and our relationship with the natural world. The works are paired with commentary from writers known for their expertise in climate and energy issues. To dive deeper into these topics, please visit the resource area outside the Contemporary Project Gallery.
In the Paper Vault, I’ve selected works from the Blanton’s permanent collection that, in my view, represent many of the themes and issues connected with climate change. Most of these works were not created with climate change in mind, but they demonstrate that when we talk about climate change, we are really talking about much deeper things, including our relationship with nature, the promise of technology, and how we define progress.
The goal of this show is not to convince you that the sky is turning orange. It’s to inspire you to see that our world is changing fast, and to think about what that means for you, your loved ones, and the future of life on this planet.
–Jeff Goodell, guest curator
Introducción
Hace quince años, mientras escribía la reseña de un libro sobre el cambio climático, navegaba por el Atlántico norte a bordo de un buque operado por el Instituto Oceanográfico Woods Hole, uno de los centros de investigación oceanográfica más importantes del país. Al caer la tarde, mientras observaba peces voladores elevarse junto al barco, le pregunté a uno de los científicos que iban a bordo qué se debía hacer para que las personas pongan atención a los riesgos del calentamiento del planeta causado por la acumulación de dióxido de carbono en la atmósfera. Según el Departamento de Energía, en EE. UU. el 92 % del total de las emisiones de dióxido de carbono por actividades humanas proviene de la quema de combustibles fósiles.
“Si el dióxido de carbono manchara el aire de morado, a la gente le importaría”, respondió. “Verían al cielo cambiar de color y entenderían que el mundo está cambiando. Por el contrario, el dióxido de carbono es un gas invisible y es demasiado fácil imaginar que nada está cambiando”.
Pareciera que la pintura de Aaron Morse, Cloud World #3 (Mundo de nubes n.° 3) la hubieran creado para ilustrar precisamente ese punto. En ella se capturan la conmoción el drama de un cielo anaranjado, y se nos invita a imaginar cuán diferente veríamos a nuestro mundo si el dióxido de carbono sí manchara el cielo de otro color.
Esta exposición trata sobre visibilizar el cambio climático —si no es mediante pintar el cielo de color naranja, entonces mediante ver su impacto a través de los ojos de los artistas—.
Esta exposición consta de dos partes. En la Sala de proyectos contemporáneos y en la Sala de cine y video se presentan las obras de diez artistas que responden al cambio climático y a nuestra relación con el mundo natural. Estas obras van acompañadas con un comentario de escritores conocidos por su experiencia en cuestiones del clima y la energía. Para profundizar en estos temas, visite el área de recursos contigua a la Sala de proyectos contemporáneos.
En la sala Paper Vault, seleccioné obras de la colección permanente del Blanton que, a mi modo de ver, representan muchos de los temas y cuestiones vinculados al cambio climático. La mayoría de estas obras no fueron creadas con el cambio climático en mente, pero demuestran que, cuando hablamos del cambio climático, en realidad hablamos de cosas mucho más profundas, como nuestra relación con la naturaleza, las promesas de la tecnología y cómo definimos el progreso.
El objetivo de esta muestra no es convencer a nadie de que el cielo se está tornando anaranjado. Si no, inspirar a las personas a que vean que nuestro mundo está cambiando rápidamente y a que reflexionen sobre qué significa ese cambio para usted, para sus seres queridos y para el futuro de la vida en este planeta.
–Jeff Goodell, curador invitado