Art/Act: Youth 2019

We are pleased to present Art/Act: Youth, the Brower Center’s annual exhibition showcasing work by Berkeley High School students that examines the intersection of environmentalism and art. The exhibition is curated by artist and BHS Arts Educator Kimberley D’Adamo Green and showcases students who are conducting in-depth interdisciplinary research on environmental themes. It also features work by students enrolled in two BHS digital photography courses taught by Gabriel Berent.

In the future, practices and decisions concerning the environment will be made by the youth of today. The chosen body of work for Art/Act: Youth gives insight into what young dynamic minds perceive about the current and future state of our planet. This exhibition underscores the Brower Center’s vision to nurture young environmental artists with the ultimate goal of empowering the next generation of change makers.

Of Art/Act: Youth, Laurie Rich, Executive Director of the David Brower Center, says: “The exhibition reminds me of a David Brower quote: ‘I’m always impressed with what young people can do before older people tell them it’s impossible.’ This is what our youth program endeavors to do: inspire and encourage young people to believe anything is possible. These teens have brilliant ideas and, by giving them the artistic space to convey them, we open up a wealth of potential that otherwise might have remained untapped.”

“This leads me to what I feel is the other huge benefit of our Art/Act: Youth program: hope. Hope not only for the artists, but for the entire community. There is something powerful about knowing that a young person is thinking deeply about important issues and conveying what they think through an artistic viewpoint. Every year, exhibition visitors are touched. This speaks to the Brower Center’s mission to be a home for the environmental movement. We want to inspire all people to believe that they can make a difference and affect change.”

Participating artists: Henry Badoud, Lorenza Bartu, Calvin Beeman-Weber, Karan Bhakta, Luka Biagioli, Alexandra Blair, William Blankespoor, Sarah Blue, Nathan Booth, Lara Brandao, Rosie Bultman, Olivia Chang, Anya Chytrowski, Raquel Clydesdale, Gabby Clewans, Isabella Collins, Charlotte Conelly, Sophie Devaney, Sophia Dua, Gavin Dyce, Isabella Farrell, Olivia Fechner-Lewis, Sadie Fleig, Chloe Freeling, Anna Fry, Sophia Gaal, Susanne Goldstein, Ren Green, Julian Hathaway-LaPointe, Noa Henthorn-Iwane, Ryoma Hoffman Hattori, Clara Hollowgrass, Lucille Irwin, Macey Keung, Camille Kohr, Emilio Langenberg Oseguera, Maylis Laverne, Siena Laws, Marleigh Leaks, Gina Ledor, Kaila Lenrow, Jasper Lusson, Rocio Lybarger-Yanes, Gigi Mancuso-Jackson, Milagro Mariona Cruz, Charlotte Mathews, Benjamin Morgan, Isabella Nathan, Treena Nguyen, Jonas Nykamp, Grace O’Keefe, Anna Orebic, Maclain Pagenhart, Catherina Phu, Isabel Plowman, Ayla Polevoy, Emily Pyle, Marlena Raines, Mabel Robinson-McGee, Millicent Sampson-Eves, Gaby Sandel, Ruth Sarasohn, Lillian Schouten, Davin Sieu, Schuyler Simon-Thomas, Nina Smith, Katherine Southern, Ariane Stenstedt, Gabriel Stevens, Maia Stevens, Estelle Strader, Jamie Takakuwa, Olivia Tong, Axel Waldron, Athena White-Allen, Naledi Wiberg, Kahena Wilhite, Lou Lou Ziegler

Art/Act: Youth is made possible through the generosity of the Berkeley Civic Arts Program & Civic Arts Commission, Dharma Merchant Services, East Bay Municipal Utilities District, Puffin Foundation West, Ltd., and The Nancy P. and Richard K. Robbins Family Foundation.

[Image: detail, Mother Earth by Macey Keung]