Expanding Climate Action in the Visual Arts, a moderated panel discussion exploring how arts organizations can advance their energy efficiency and resiliency. Taking place on Friday, September 22, at the New Museum, this event is part of Climate Week NYC and tied to the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative (FCI), a multiyear, $15-million initiative supporting carbon neutral and clean energy projects at visual arts institutions across the country.
Hosted by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, the panel discussion will spotlight the work of select FCI grant recipient arts institutions— California Institute of the Arts, the Nordic Museum, the Swiss Institute, and the Taft Museum of Art, among them—and feature presentations by leading voices in the field, including RMI and the Gallery Climate Coalition, who are championing climate action.
Introductory Remarks ~ Lisa Phillips, Toby Devan Lewis Director, New Museum, Dr. Lise Motherwell, Director and Chair, Board of Directors, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Elizabeth Smith, Executive Director, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation
Speakers ~ Rebekah Beaulieu, President and CEO, Taft Museum of Art, Stefanie Hessler, Director, Swiss Institute, Eric Nelson, Director, Nordic Museum, Ravi S. Rajan, President, California Institute of the Arts, Sarah Sutton, Co-Founder and CEO, Environment & Culture Partners, James Merle Thomas, Deputy Director, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation
Closing Remarks ~ Jon Creyts, CEO, RMI, Victoria Siddall, Co-Founder and Executive Consultant, Gallery Climate Coalition
Expanding Climate Action in the Visual Arts will take place on Friday, September 22nd from 5:30 to 7:00 pm (doors open at 5:00pm). A Reception will follow. The New Museum is located at 235 Bowery, NYC.
About the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative ~ The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative is the first nation-wide program to support energy efficiency and clean energy use for the visual arts and the largest private national grant-making program to address climate change action through cultural institutions. The $15 million ongoing initiative provides critical support to visual art institutions in the United States seeking to assess their impact on the environment
and to lower ongoing energy costs. To date, the Foundation has conferred more than $10.8 million supporting 175 energy efficiency and clean energy projects at 147 institutions across 34 states in the U.S. through the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative.
Building on the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s commitment to social impact philanthropy and to catalyzing positive change on critical issues in the arts, the Foundation launched the Initiative in 2021 in association with RMI, an independent nonprofit that engages businesses, communities, institutions, and entrepreneurs in accelerating the adoption of market-based solutions that cost-effectively create a clean, prosperous, and secure low-carbon future; and Environment & Culture Partners, a nonprofit that creates relationships and leads collaborations that engage the cultural sector in broader climate action.