Surge: Mapping Transition, Displacement, and Agency in Times of Climate Change

October 14, 2023 - February 17, 2024

Exhibition Timeline

Artist/Scientist Project Proposals were due
February 7, 2023. Thank you to everyone who submitted a proposal!

Selection Panel Review of Proposals
February 1-17, 2023

Selected Artists/Scientists contacted during the week of
February 20, 2023

Press Release announcing selection
by February 28, 2023

Exhibition Opening Date
October 14, 2023

Exhibition Dates
October 14, 2023 - February 17, 2024

As global average temperatures rise, glaciers recede, and extreme weather events such as droughts, heat waves, and large storms become more frequent, ecosystems and communities are profoundly affected. Climate change is a journey to an unknown, liminal place requiring adaptation, interdependence, and resiliency. This journey is often unmapped, and for some communities who have until recently lived in unison with the environment, this journey is literal. Under the pressure of a rapidly changing climate,  plants, animals, and humans adapt and embark on paths of both transition and displacement through unknown territories.  The ripples of these transitions compound to undo learned experiences and community memories developed through millennia. But in these challenges is also resilience. People, plants, and animals continue to illustrate their capacity to adapt and connect during these times of uncertainty. We continue to learn as our communities constantly map both their geographies and unknown future.  What does resilience and agency during the climate crisis look like? How can we as a society learn from the changes impacting our local and global neighbors, both human and nonhuman, to move forward in a restorative way?

Selected Artists

Mary Coss
Lucia Enriquez
Melinda Hurst Frye
Karen Hackenberg
Todd Horton
Cara Jaye
Tori Karpenko
Tesla Kawakami
Aaron Loveitt
Amanda Manitach
Crista Matteson
Lisa McShane
Natalie Niblack
Sasha Petrenko
Ann Chadwich Reid
Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer
Buster Simpson
Kandis Susol
Nina Vichayapai
David Willis

Collaborating Scientists

Jurors

Tamar Benzikry is Principal of Art and Purpose, an artist forward, purpose driven consultancy based in Seattle and Los Angeles. As Curator for Meta Open Arts (formerly Facebook Artist in Residence), Tamar commissioned 70+ artists in North and South America to create large-scale, site-specific installations with a focus on DE&I and advancing innovation of art and technology to center social and community impact. A champion for the essential role of art in learning and everyday life, Tamar has taught at the University of Washington and led award-winning public art projects with 4Culture for over a decade.
Photo: ARTXIV I Tamar Benzikry in front of art by Brian Sanchez on the SODO Track in Seattle

Chloe Dye Sherpe is the Curator for The Lumiere Group, and works on independent projects as a curator, writer, and lecturer. Drawing on her strong relationships with artists, galleries, design firms, and construction companies, Chloe manages strategic planning, acquisitions, exhibitions, and loans for The Lumiere Group's clients. Her curatorial interests are diverse, including the intersection of art and climate studies, and supporting the work of Indigenous artists throughout the United States and Canada. She earned a bachelor’s in History from Whitworth University and a master’s in Art History from the University of Florida. In her previous role as curator for the Museum of Northwest Art, Chloe exhibited the work of over 150 artists and organized the museum’s first national traveling exhibition. An enthusiastic collaborator, Chloe lectures and consults on a variety of topics, including contemporary art, museum collecting ethics, and curatorial studies. 

Stefano Catalani
Museum of Northwest art
Executive Director and Chief Curator