Artist Brigade
Bringing arts and artists to the front lines of climate action
Artist Brigade is a leaderless, national movement. Our goal is to bring imagination, vision and the heart of artists into the telling of the climate story in order to mobilize a society paralyzed by climate anxiety and grief. We work in cross-sector partnerships with those currently telling the climate narrative, environmental organizations, activists, scientists, journalists, and scholars.
Artist Brigade 100
In 2022, we welcomed the first official cohort of the Artist Brigade to bring arts and artists to the front lines of climate action. The artists were selected from a large pool of applicants to spend the year meeting and learning, going on field trips, partnering with others telling the climate story, and, as David Maggs says, ‘reauthoring the world.
Basic Training
Greenhouse, a two-day paid intensive for 100 artists. Greenhouse took place outdoors in the sunshine at UBC Botanical Gardens with the goals of climate literacy and new perspectives on the role of the artist in the climate crisis, connecting both with our ancestors and a hopeful future
Field Work
After the artists completed Greenhouse, they had the opportunity to go on one of 4 ‘field trips’ to places where they could see the climate in crisis. Afterwards, artists had the chance to pitch artistic projects that addressed the crisis. Some of the pitches were commissioned and all of their work was paid.
Front Line Action
We work with the others in society that are telling the climate story: environmental organizations, scientists, activists, journalists, and government. By partnering on tough questions, we can bring forth big ideas, that vivify and mobilize society at this critical time.
A Year with the Artist Brigade – A Report by Dr. Carolyne Clare
Executive Summary: Bringing Artists to the Climate Crisis by Kendra Fanconi In this age, characterized by ecological devastation, paralysing climate anxiety and grief in the citizenry, art has an important role to play. Art can unpack the complex emotional...
tones to melt and heal hardened hearts diffused on bicycles
Image by Wen Wen Lu tones to melt and heal hardened hearts diffused on bicycles was commissioned by the Only Animal’s work with the Artist Brigade bringing art and artists to the climate crisis. For more information visit: Artist Brigade. tones to melt and...
GROWING ROOTS: Art for belonging
GROWING ROOTS: Art for belonging, co-designed and co-facilitated by Cathy Stubington and Mohammed Zaqout, was commissioned by the Only Animal’s work with the Artist Brigade bringing art and artists to the climate crisis. For more information visit: Artist...
The Split
The Split, by Jordan Hall, is a Commission that comes out of The Only Animal’s work with the Artist Brigade. The Artist Brigade brings art and artists to the climate crisis. For more information visit: Artist Brigade. This project was created on and inspired...
一字千景: a thousand scenes
一字千景: a thousand scenes in one word, is a community-engaged project that aims to connect local Chinese Immigrant community with values of sustainability and environmental impact through Chinese calligraphy, drawing, and animation.
Instructions for grieving this change/ instructions for changing this grief
This piece was a commissioned piece that came out of the Sustainable Living field trip as part of this year’s Artist Brigade. Artist Statement Instructions for grieving this change/ instructions for changing this grief is a set of instruction guides inspired...
Co-Creating a Culture of Stewardship: Cloth, Plants and Place
The Artist Brigade brings arts and artists to the front lines of the climate movement, and our inaugural 100-artist cohort came together for Greenhouse, and other trainings and weekly engagements. Then, they were invited on one of a series of field trips to sites...
Forest In Danger
The Artist Brigade brings arts and artists to the front lines of the climate movement, and our inaugural 100-artist cohort came together for Greenhouse, and other trainings and weekly engagements. Then, they were invited on one of a series of field trips to sites...
Sustainable Living
The Artist Brigade brings arts and artists to the front lines of the climate movement, and our inaugural 100-artist cohort came together for Greenhouse, and other trainings and weekly engagements. Then, they were invited on one of a series of field trips to sites...
In the SongBird Forest
In the SongBird Forest involves six Blue People (performers in large blue masks) inhabiting a spot in this special place. The performance emerges from a project of Runaway Moon Theatre in which these beings have appeared in different natural and human settings.
Remembering Mothertongue
This piece was a commissioned piece that came out of the Co-Creating a Culture of Stewardship: Cloth, Plants and Place field trip as part of this year’s Artist Brigade. Artist Statement The Remembering Mothertongue Project is an exploration of the legacy of our...
The Artist Part
The Artist Brigade brings arts and artists to the front lines of the climate movement, and our inaugural 100-artist cohort came together for Greenhouse, and other trainings and weekly engagements. Then, they were invited on one of a series of field trips to sites...