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Each year, the David Brower Center, named after the influential environmentalist, showcases the work of Berkeley High School students that explores the intersection of environmentalism and art. But as we see young people around the world unite to fight against climate change, ignited by the IPCC report released last October that found we have 12 years to save…
Read MoreFive artists — Barbara Boissevain, Sukey Bryan, Lauren Elder, Ethan Estess, and Sarah Newton — present works demonstrating a sea change is needed to magically transform that nest-fouling species, Homo sapiens. == In 1980, Jacques Cousteau estimated that marine life had declined, during his long career, by half. Almost 40 neglectful years later, we are…
Read MoreIn his 40-plus years of work as a photojournalist, National Geographic reporter Brian Skerry has captured some of the most magnificent images of the marine biosphere in existence. Skerry has photographed spotted dolphins pirouetting in the Bahamas, 70-ton right whales kissing the sea floor of the Auckland Islands, 10-foot long bluefin tuna swimming alongside divers…
Read MoreNational Geographic photographer and award-winning photojournalist Brian Skerry is bringing the public into his fascinating underwater world with Art/Act: Brian Skerry – SHARKS, a new in-depth exhibition at Berkeley’s David Brower Center. The exhibition will include a collection of large-scale images and videos, and Skerry himself will be at the opening on Friday, September 21. Skerry is the recipient…
Read MoreThe newest generation of teen activists continues to take the world by storm, marching for our lives and speaking out against injustice. Unsurprisingly, the art students of Berkeley High School are partaking in this movement, using their intellect and artistry to produce masterful commentary on a similarly pressing issue: environmentalism. Since 2016, the David Brower…
Read MoreExpectedly — and with afterthought, not a surprise — a phone conversation with sound sculpture artist Bill Fontana is textured with sonic anomalies. “Ping, ping,” warns his Nissan Leaf before San Francisco-based Fontana announces, like a narrator, “I’m driving an electric car. It only makes a sound when it’s backing up.” Later, the phone’s “whoosh,…
Read MoreNew Zealand composer Annea Lockwood’s shtick is that she’s shtickless. In a roving presentation Thursday night at Berkeley’s David Brower Center, Lockwood offered insights into her process and shared excerpts demonstrating environmental sounds used in three multimedia installations, A Sound Map of the Danube (2001-5), Jitterbug(2006), and Wild Energy (2014). A conversation with composer, producer, and Other Minds Executive & Artistic Director…
Read MoreBERKELEY — Douglas Tompkins, a wealthy former Bay Area entrepreneur and sportsman who renounced the corporate life to dedicate himself to exploration and conservation mostly in South America, is the subject of an exhibit at the David Brower Center from Sept. 24 through Feb. 21. Tompkins, who co-founded the outdoor fashion companies The North Face and Esprit,…
Read MoreIn Donald Trump’s America, one topic that should be on the forefront of everyone’s minds is the environment. With Trump withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, bringing coal back, and reducing enforcement of pollution laws, scientists agree that our world is in trouble. In light of our president’s inaction on the issue of climate change, the David…
Read MoreSculptor Moriah Godes explores the impact of man-made materials on ocean life. Painter Alex Spevak illustrates industry’s impact on Arctic animals. Another painter, Héctor Muñoz-Guzmán, looks at the effects of pollution on urban life. The three young artists are part of “Art/Act: Youth,” a multidisciplinary exhibition of works by students of Berkeley High School that…
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