The Art of Change

As climate change accelerates, indigenous peoples around the world face numerous challenges to the health of homelands, traditional practices and culture. The Art of Change: Climate Justice and Indigenous Solutions will explore the cultural stories and knowledge that are essential in facing these challenges, the tools and technologies needed in this transition, and the power of art to inspire action and change.

Climate Justice and Indigenous Solutions will focus on four main themes, which can be viewed as “steps” for action, moving us in a circular fashion and reminding us of the cyclical nature of the Earth:

• Culture and Stories—The importance of ancestral wisdom, intercultural and intergenerational dialogue, and connection to place. We will discuss how communities are responding to their own environmental issues, and the role of traditional ecological knowledge.
   
• Creative Communication—The power of diverse forms of art to inspire change. We will explore how to effectively communicate with those who we are working with, as well as how to communicate with the elements of the web of life affected by these issues of climate injustice.
   
• Skills and Technology—Building and working within our environment, particularly using what is immediately available. We want to highlight the importance of accessible forms of renewable energies. We must also address the importance of strengthening connections within communities to bring all skills and resources together for a common goal.
   
• Tools for Change—Concentrating on activist strategies, particularly strategies that have been successful and that are cross-cultural, accessible, and empowering. What kinds of strategies effectively engage with policy and power to make real change? We will emphasize the importance of knowledge and documentation of the past, understanding present issues, and articulating future directions. Last, we want to continue stressing the importance of bioregional solutions for climate justice. 
   

Join the Student Sustainability Leadership Program, a student internship made up those working collaboratively to make IAIA an environmentally responsible campus.

Keynote Address Live Stream Link

Download or view Art of Change poster (, 12.7 MiB)