Abstract

Land artists of the 1960s brought art out of the gallery and into the public realm with its cultural, social, and environmental implications. Comparatively, Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s Earth From Above exhibit takes images of poignant beauty intricately connected to environmental stewardship into a moveable gallery traversing the world’s predominant public open spaces. Another direction for environmental art that joins sustainable design, the far-reaching repercussions and momentum for positive global change is at the fore of the Earth From Above (EFA) mission with direct public exposure and synergistic educational relationships. For example, the design and production team that has evolved in the effort to bring the EFA experience to the United States, premiering in NYC, exemplifies the collaborative, problem-solving directive currently charged to the people of this planet as global citizens. An obstacle to responsible stewardship, environmental commentary is often shrouded in pessimism; conversely, individual and collective inspiration derived from the EFA exhibit provides workable ground for such care. With the US a major contributor to environmental degradation at a time of global recession, the event, scheduled for April 2010, is opportune. Highlighting a fitting consequence of contemporary environmental art and design, this paper discusses the educational and cultural avenue forged by trans-disciplinary collaboration of business professionals, educators, students, and practitioners in bringing sustainable research, design and technology to the public realm in the planning of the EFA/USA/NYC exhibit; and, in return, the cultural event inspiring constructive environmental progress that viewers can bring back to their homes, communities, professions and lives.