Allen After Hours / Museums as Sites for Climate Protest

Thursday, November 2, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

What is the history of museums as activist institutions? Are art museums implicated in the climate crisis? Why have they become potent sites for climate protests? Are these protests effective?

Ongoing climate change protests taking place at art museums have been the subject of headline news in recent years. In conjunction with the exhibition Anthropocene Aesthetics, this panel seeks to frame a conversation around museums, activism, and the climate crisis. This public program continues the Allen’s commitment to fostering dialogue around the vital role of art institutions within a democratic culture.

Featuring:

• Renee Romano, Robert S. Danforth Professor of History, Professor of Comparative American Studies and Africana Studies, Oberlin College
• Jacqueline Patterson, Founder and Executive Director of the Chisholm Legacy Project: A Resource Hub for Black Frontline Climate Justice Leadership
• Heather Galloway, founder and owner of Galloway Art Conservation
• Moderated by Sam Adams, Ellen Johnson ’33 Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Allen Memorial Art Museum; co-curator of the exhibition Anthropocene Aesthetics

Access Statement:
This event will be held in a wheelchair- and rolling walker-accessible building. The lecture space is wheelchair accessible, with moveable seating, and near wheelchair-accessible restrooms. Restrooms are gender-specific; visitors are invited to use the restroom of their preference. Listening devices will be available for use during the presentation, but ASL interpretation will not be offered. Most talks will be recorded and available with closed captions on the museum’s Vimeo page after the event. Please email access questions to Jill Greenwood, jgreenwo@oberlin.edu.