Opening Celebration: Remember Earth?

Remember Earth? Curatorial Statement by Erin Lee Antonak

Through a broad call for multidisciplinary work centering on the environment, the CAC’s 9th Annual Gulf South Open Call exhibition, Remember Earth? presents the voices of artists from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Within all 200 of the applications submitted, several narratives emerged - the most common topics included pollution, coastal land erosion, natural disasters, mass extinction, home loss, anxiety, environmental racism, and growing inequalities brought on by the effects of climate change. Stories ranged from hopeless to hopeful and illustrate first-person depictions of living on the frontlines of a rapidly changing natural world.

"Every decision that you make has to benefit the future generations… The land will still be here, the air will still be here for our future generations … we must think of them…We need to meet together with an open heart and mind… We need to put aside our greed, our jealousy, our hatred, and leave them at the door…No one should ever be excluded … we must all be of one mind."

– Chief Richard Shakowi Chrisjohn, Oneida Indian Nation of New York

Growing up Oneida, my grandfather, Chief Richard Shakowi Chrisjohn, constantly reminded me of the Seventh Generation philosophy. The Seventh Generation philosophy is an Iroquois guideline to how we individually and collectively were to make decisions. The philosophy states that with every decision we make, we must consider how that decision will affect the future seven generations, and represents a way of recognizing that our long-term survival must be weighed against our immediate needs.

The current environmental crisis we face is a cultural challenge. We inherited the seeds of this crisis from previous generations. Now, how citizens of the world collectively respond will set the course: not only for our lifetimes, but those of our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The Earth’s temperature is rising; and as the Earth gets warmer the more unbalanced the ecological systems we depend on to sustain life become. This imbalance is seen in a loss of native animal, insect, and plant species; an increase of invasive species, pests, and disease; and a greater number of forest fires, flooding, and extreme weather events that result in the loss of homes and lives.

The works in Remember Earth? show the complexities of living in an environment already experiencing the ravages of an out-of-balance world. Whether using lasers, sound, video, poetry, paint, collage, found materials, living plants, fibers, or dance, each work depicts a lived human experience and the precarity of our current situation. In this moment in time there is an urgency for new directions, an imperative to shift from our current course, and enter into unknown territory where everything we know and love can all be gone with the next storm. The artists in this exhibition are storytellers, scientists, teachers, advocates, and activists who use the language of art to connect with people on a personal level, inspire action, and effect change. What will it take for us to consider Earth now so in the future we won’t be asking “Remember Earth?”

This program is part of Inter[SECTOR], the CAC’s three-year multidisciplinary arts programming centering cross-sector engagements with the fields of carceral justice, healthcare, and the environment. Each project draws upon the artists own experiences and seeks to connect with impacted communities as well as general audiences. Learn more

Proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours is required for admission to the CAC. The CAC will continue to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines and laws, as outlined by the City of New Orleans and State of Louisiana.