A quilt currently hangs in the Lehigh University Art Galleries (LUAG) Lab, stitching together self portraits, environmental poems, speeches from climate change activists, student sketches and photographs from nature field trips.
This multimedia art exhibit focuses on students’ relationship with climate change and debuted on Jan. 23 in the LUAG. “Field Notes: Documenting Climate Change Through Art,” showcases the work of students in the fall 2023 first-year seminar “Can Art Inspire Climate Change Action,” taught by Professor Deirdre Murphy.
According to LUAG’s website, the exhibition is on display at the LUAG Lab until May 24. The art in the exhibition reflects the students’ unique perspectives on climate change, the environment and their mental health and well-being related to the climate crisis.
LUAG intern Emily Tsao, ’25, who curated the exhibit, said this is the first time first-year students’ work has been displayed in the LUAG Lab.
The exhibition includes the work and sketches of the students, as well as photographs from field trips the students took throughout the course.
“We did a lot of field trips and different kinds of art projects over the semester,” Murphy said. “Getting in touch with nature, we can take care of the planet in our own little way, and that’s what this project really is about.”
The focal piece of the exhibition is a quilt, titled “Self Portraits for Change.” The self portraits were created by the students using plate printmaking to represent the changes to the environment brought about by climate change.
“(The quilt) reflects the students’ view on the state of our environment,” Tsao said. “The entire class work is stitched together as a quilt to emphasize the students’ united stance on climate change and that everything on this planet is interconnected.”
Students cited poems about the environment and speeches from climate activists in the quilt to help the community better understand climate change.
Isabelle Waksman, ‘27, fabricated the quilt. Waksman is majoring in biology and minoring in art, and she said it was an incredible experience combining her two areas of study and getting the opportunity to exhibit them at LUAG.
“Everything was super hands-on and what we did really translated into the artwork,” Waksman said.
Waksman said she believes working on the quilt allowed the class to generate ideas to stitch the work together. Although she said this exhibition may have a small impact on the global scale, she hopes the exhibition will make people who come to visit the gallery start to think about climate change.
Amelia Jones, ’27, an environmental science major in the seminar, believes her exhibited work expresses her attention to detail and love of plants.
“I think that it is really good to get out and see what we need to protect our native species,” Jones said.
She said she believes all Lehigh students need to be aware of Bethlehem’s relationship with climate change and the upcoming struggles that will affect the local vegetation and wildlife, as well as students’ lives at school.
This exhibit accompanies the work of environmental photographer Nick Brandt, whose climate change photography is shown in the main gallery.
Murphy said she is committed to combating climate change and hopes to engage first-year students in acclimating to the Lehigh community and developing a sense of belonging through classes and exhibitions.
This quilt exhibit reflects the way Murphy wants students to feel responsibility and ownership in the classroom.
“I hope that our voices get louder,” Murphy said. “That’s the only way we’re going to leave a better planet.”
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