Nature, Crisis, Consequence
Nature, Crisis, Consequence is a groundbreaking art exhibition that looks at the social and cultural impact of the environmental crisis on different communities across America. Showcasing works drawn from New-York Historical’s permanent collection, recent acquisitions, and loaned works, which collectively span the history of the United States, the exhibition explores subjects ranging from the proto-environmentalism of the Hudson River School to the razing of homes and churches to clear land for Central Park, the environmental and human tolls of the transcontinental railroad, and Indigenous artists’ calls to environmental action.
Exhibition highlights include the five-part series Course of Empire, Thomas Cole’s urgent warning against uncontrolled expansion into the natural world; an arresting seascape by Kay WalkingStick (Cherokee) overlaid by an abstract Pequot/Narragansett pattern which reclaims the present-day New England coast as Indigenous; and a woven ceramic basket by Courtney M. Leonard (Shinnecock) inspired by the mass fish die-offs on Long Island caused by climate change. Curated by Wendy Nālani E. Ikemoto, senior curator of American Art at New-York Historical
Major support for Nature, Crisis, Consequence is provided by the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation. Additional support is provided by Ernest Tollerson and Katrinka Leefmans.
March 31, 2023 - July 16, 2023
New York Historical Society Museum
170 Central Park West
at Richard Gilder Way (77th Street)
New York, NY 10024
