Exhibit Review: Arcadia Earth
Last weekend I visited Arcadia Earth, “a next-generation art exhibition and extended reality experience designed to reignite the conversation around the most pressing environmental issues of our time.” As a project manager for a national environmental leadership network and art lover, I was incredibly curious about how this exhibit would tell the story about climate change in an aesthetically pleasing way. What I saw was truly enjoyable and I’m excited to share my review with you.
Each section of the exhibit has an introductory and fact sharing component before you venture further. If you use the Arcadia Earth app and hover over some of the icons you can unlock the AR features.
The first room begins with the ocean…
Next up, is air! I really enjoyed this room and thought the way the artist chose to depict air was incredibly creative.
This plastic bag installation was one of my favorite three-dimensional pieces. Lights were used to “paint” the plastic bags different colors.
Next, we’re back under the sea…
Then, we visit the forest! I really enjoyed the combination between three-dimensional elements and two-dimensional wall backgrounds.
Next, there’s a room with signs made by other visitors. You can add to them as well, if you’d like to!
Before you exit to the gift shop, there are several mirror and neon sign installations with phrases like “Shop Responsibly”, “Eat Less Meat”, and “I Vow to Care.” Parts of this installation are made from old carpets!
Even the gift shop has beautiful art! One of my favorite parts of the exhibit was seeing all of the eco-friendly and sustainable living products in the gift shop, instead of the usual posters and tees. It is a beautiful way to connect the cause to action and a lot of the products are well known and beloved in the sustainable living community.
The only thing that would have made it even better was if they had ways for visitors to capture a list of nonprofit organizations in their state to volunteer with or support. State-level environmental work is often underfunded compared to national organizations, and they also do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to environmental policy and climate change mitigation, so I am always looking for more support of those organizations.
My overall review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5!
I appreciate how the various climate change issues were presented in the context of different environments on earth, especially with the inclusion of additional facts and encouragement for how consumers can help alleviate some of the impacts. There were some calls to action regarding policy and I would have liked to see more. As we know, climate change is accelerated by corporations and solutions need to be on a corporate and governmental level. Sometimes, I worry that consumers seeing ways to lower their impact gives a false sense of the core solution. However, I do also believe in living a life that is as sustainable as possible, so presenting everyday options is a beautiful way to encourage everyone to live a more sustainable life.
I would recommend adding this exhibit to your “to visit” list if you live in New York City or plan to visit soon!
in adventure,
