Street Works Earth Festival Merges Art and Climate Action in Queens

The inaugural Street Works Earth festival will transform 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens, into a vibrant hub of art and climate action on September 22, 2024. Organized by Make Justice Normal, this public event aims to spark joy and inspire hopeful action in support of climate and environmental justice during New York Climate Week. The festival will feature 17 interactive art installations and 23 climate and civic action tables, creating a unique space where creativity and practical climate solutions converge on one of America's longest open streets.

Anjali Deshmukh, Jackson Heights resident and co-founder of Street Works Earth and MJN, emphasizes the festival's mission to bridge art and practical climate action by creating joyful spaces where residents can participate in creativity while exploring climate justice. The event showcases a carefully curated selection of artists and collectives chosen from over 100 entries, with installations ranging from "Wasted Potential" by youth-led climate collective The Veggie Nuggets focusing on food waste impacts to "Flood Sensory Aunty" by Sabina Sethi Unni exploring culturally competent emergency management.

A distinguishing feature is the intentional fostering of dialogue between artists and climate experts, with artists connected to specialists from organizations such as Environmental Defense Fund and Queens Climate Project. Jonathan Camuzeaux, Senior Director at Environmental Defense Fund and Street Works Earth Advisor, notes there is much that climate experts have to learn from artists and creators, and many ways they can enrich each other through cross-disciplinary collaboration.

The festival's commitment to civic engagement is evident in its inclusion of 23 climate and civic action tables hosting organizations including ALIGN, Chhaya, Environmental Defense Fund, and WE ACT for Environmental Justice. This approach illustrates how art in community spaces can support democracy and civic participation while reaching Jackson Heights' diverse community, which is approximately 85% BIPOC and home to speakers of over 150 languages.

Street Works Earth builds upon MJN's organizing principles for justice, adding design principles specifically for collaborating with artists and climate experts. By creating a platform for street artists outside traditional museum and gallery systems, the event hopes to inspire similar initiatives globally. Ernest Verrett, Street Works Earth co-founder, emphasizes the innovative approach of reclaiming public space as a platform for creativity in collaboration with audiences, offering alternatives to traditional forms of art and activism.

The festival has garnered support from various partners including the Environmental Defense Fund, the Frontline Resources Institute, the NYC Racial Equity Endowment Fund, and Pinterest. It also received public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. As climate change continues to be a pressing global issue, events like Street Works Earth demonstrate the power of combining art, community engagement, and environmental activism to make climate action more accessible and engaging for diverse audiences, potentially serving as a model for future initiatives worldwide.