Event name: Climate Art Workshop
Event time and place: Cambridge Community Center November 13, 2025
The Climate Art Workshop centered around the role of climate art as a tool for communicating environmental issues, emotions, and experiences. The presenters discussed the broad range of artistic mediums, such as storytelling, visual art, poetry, and other mixed media art, that could be used to express concerns about climate change and inspire community involvement. They explained how these creative approaches make the climate conversation more personal and accessible by translating complex topics into creative and relatable stories. The presentation also included sustainability initiatives at the University of Maryland, including the sustainability fund and additional ways to get involved with UMD sustainability. Following the presentation, we were able to create our own climate art through various mediums. The first activity focused on making a zine or a small booklet on any topic related to climate change or sustainability. I created mine on renewable energy sources. The second activity was creating a watercolored painting using natural pigments as a sustainable way to produce climate centered art. I painted a landscape with water and trees, symbolizing the importance of protecting and preserving the natural resources we depend on. The final activity focused on emotional expression, where students had to create pie charts representing their feelings and create self portraits incorporating symbols or characteristics reflecting their identities and concerns. Overall, the Climate Art Workshop illustrated how artistic expression can serve as an effective way towards climate engagement. By blending education, creativity, and personal reflection, the workshop demonstrated how climate focused art can deepen understanding, foster emotional connection, and ultimately inspire action towards sustainability.
I found the main points of the Climate Art Workshop largely convincing, both in terms of the significance of climate focused art and the value of incorporating creative practices into environmental communication. One of the strongest aspects of the presentation was the contrast it drew between traditional scientific communication and creative approaches. When presenting, the speakers showed several graphs and scientific datasets related to climate change. While these visuals were informative, they were difficult for many of us to fully understand because we are not professionals in environmental science or data analysis. They explained that although scientific data is essential, it can sometimes be inaccessible or overwhelming to general audiences. Creative mediums, by contrast, can translate the same information into forms that feel personal, relatable, and easier to understand. This strengthened the claim that art is not meant to replace scientific evidence, but rather helps bridge the gap between complex climate data and everyday experiences. Activities such as creating the zine, watercolor painting using natural pigments, and expressive writing allowed the students to explore both environmental topics and their personal emotional responses. For example, creating the zine required synthesizing information into climate related topics and presenting it in a visually engaging way and accessible format. Another convincing aspect of the workshop was the connection it drew between creative expression and real world climate change action. The presenters shared information about sustainability initiatives at the University of Maryland, including the Sustainability Fund and other student-led environmental organizations. They explained the tangible ways to get involved and contribute to meaningful change. It was encouraging to realize that there are ongoing opportunities for students to participate in meaningful sustainability efforts. The workshop maintained a balanced perspective. The presenters offered clear explanations, concrete examples, and an interactive experience that supported their claims. It positioned art as a valuable tool for understanding, reflecting on, and responding to environmental challenges. There were no noticeable logical fallacies, and the examples, explanations, and activities supported the presenters’ claims effectively. In addition to being educational, the workshop was also a surprisingly good way to relieve stress. The creative activities gave us a chance to slow down and express our feelings in a calm, supportive setting. Doing hands on art, like painting, felt relaxing and almost meditative. This showed that climate art is also beneficial in processing emotions and reducing stress, especially regarding the climate. Overall, the Climate Art Workshop effectively demonstrated how creativity can deepen our understanding regarding environmental issues. The combination of scientific information, hands-on artistic activities, and opportunities for reflection made the experience both informative and meaningful. By showing climate communication does not have to be relegated to data and reports, the workshop highlighted the importance of making climate issues accessible, relatable, and emotionally moving. The workshop’s message about the value of climate art felt both convincing and practical, reinforcing the idea that creativity can play an important role in inspiring more climate engagement.