River on Fire – Art + Climate Justice Symposium
Joe Robles, Deer Park ITC Fire, from the series Still Growing Up Here, 2019, courtesy of the artist.
November 8 – 10, 2024
Registration required Register here
Admission: Free
Keynote: Dr. Kirsty Robertson
The River on Fire: Art + Climate Justice Symposium centers on topics such as the legacy of oil and gas, the Gulf Coast as a precarious region, and artistic and curatorial sustainable practices. The symposium features a full day of panel discussions, art breaks, and opportunities for socializing and building community.
Houstonians have become increasingly aware of the city and region’s vulnerability to climate change. Record heat, flooding caused by heavy rain, tropical storms, hurricanes, and more recently— record freezing temperatures that knocked out the Texas power grid—make it harder to deny our current climate crisis. The River on Fire: Art + Climate Justice Symposium centers on how art and climate action can help shift the climate change narrative and build a better future.
CLICK TO READ PARTICIPANT BIOS
SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE
Friday, Nov 8: Workshop and Reception
3:30 pm | Workshop: Sustainable Practices for Artists and Curators
Jack Massing, Hannah Chalew, and Ashley DeHoyos Sauder
6 pm | Symposium Reception
Spoken word by Aris Kian, Houston Poet Laureate
Saturday, Nov 9: Symposium
9:30 am – 6 pm
9:45 am | Welcome Ceremony
Ashley DeHoyos Sauder and Eddie Garcia
10 am | Panel #1
Houston Is Not a Sacrifice Zone
Erandi Treviño, Steve Rowell, Joe Robles IV, and Aaron Ambroso
12:30 pm | Lunch Break
2 pm | Keynote Address: Collaborating from the Ground Up
Dr. Kirsty Robertson, Director, The Centre for Sustainable Curating and Co-Founder, Synthetic Collective
3:15 pm | Panel #2
Water is Life: Advocacy, Pollution & Policy
Alice Liu, Laura Napier, Jackie Medcalf, and Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud
4:45 pm | Panel #3
The Future: Looking at the Gulf for New Possibilities and Perspectives
Denise Fraizer, Brandon Ballengée, Willow Naomi Curry, Stephany Valdez, and Ashley DeHoyos Sauder
Sunday, Nov 10: Workshop
11 am | Soil Science Workshop
Rebecca Verm and Carolina Aranibar-Fernández.
All events are free with registration. You may attend all or part of the symposium on Saturday as your schedule allows. Symposium schedule confirmed as of November 5, 2024.
RELATED PROGRAMS
the air we breathe Online workshop with Christina Battle
October 7 – November 1, 2024
River on Fire – Exhibition
September 28 – November 16, 2024
SUPPORT
River on Fire is supported in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts, the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, The Brown Foundation, Inc., Houston Endowment, DiverseWorks members and patrons, and Teiger Foundation, with climate coaching for exhibition production and programming provided by Rute Collaborative as part of Teiger Foundation’s Climate Action Pilot.
The River on Fire: Art + Climate Justice Symposium is supported by a grant from Teiger Foundation for participation in the Climate Action Pilot, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and DW Art + Climate Partners.