Miami is among the first cities threatened by climate change and other environmental issues, so it is no surprise that Miami’s artists are increasingly engaging with both real and existential threats, using art as a catalyst to inspire activism and build a sense of urgency for dialogue with the public, scientists, developers, policy makers, and other stakeholders.

Moderated by Monica Peña, who oversees WaveMaker Grants at Locust Projects, Miami’s longest-running alternative art space, this panel features three Miami-based artists making waves through environmental activism: Franky Cruz, Cara Despain, and Misael Soto. Learn from an experimental butterfly rearing and painting laboratory, public soundscapes that evoke the vulnerability of a city surrounded by the sea, and a post-governmental intermediary that serves as a platform for healthy public critique. Working at the intersection of art and the environment, these artists inspire citizen advocacy using approaches that can be adapted to your own community.

In the spirit of creative adaptation and responsiveness, the artists will also draw insight from their past work that may be relevant to the current challenges facing us due to COVID-19.