We live in a time where global warming has prevailed, and the natural world around us rapidly declining because of our actions. The significance of this topic ventures into the fundamental roots of artistic creation and promotes the relevance of nature and the phenomenal world towards living harmoniously as a species. My curiosity and focus towards towards this theme will not only aim to highlight the relationship and appreciation of the selected artworks but also tackle relevant topics such as global warming, animal/species extinction, and deforestation.

The fossil fuel industry is one of the great contributors of climate change, especially effecting our wild life. Here is the Addax Antelope, there are fewer than 100 left in the wild. Due to oil exploration and extraction in one of their last remaining habitats, they are quickly becoming extinct.

I sought to provoke viewers to think about how a seemingly small action like recycling can have far-reaching limbs in terms of addressing the harmful, messy manmade problems we must collectively solve.

With my sculpture, Flood Zone, I reimagine how the looming threat of rising water levels might shape the structure of our lives, architecture, and societies.

My artwork “Hope for a Green Tree under a Deep Blue Sky” aims to represent hope in a world ridden by a never-ending cycle of pollution.

“This piece is a surrealist depiction of a barn owl, heavily inspired by Alice in Wonderland. This is a tribute to recycling and bettering the environment as every material used was recycled. Barn owls are affected greatly by deforestation and other environmental issues brought on by pollution and suburban development.”

Grace Sanford (Freeport, Maine) explores the intrinsic connection between humans and local water in The Life Of Water. “Many communities are finding themselves suddenly without safe water which they once took for granted, and many lives have been lost due to lack of access to this fundamental need,” states Sanford. “Life as we understand it cannot be separated from water. All life is aquatic, and our form is defined by our water.”

Sergio Cadena Gonzalez (Brooklyn, New York) is originally from Monterrey, Mexico, a city recently cited as the most polluted in the world according to the Air Quality Index. Afuera is an original composition that “reflects my journey across diverse landscapes, addressing the pressing issue of climate change and its impact on local and global communities.”

Julie Daser (Manhattan, New York) is deeply interested transforming data from cold and clinical to emotionally resonate and moving. Flooded House is an interactive installation exploring the impact of personal accountability in creating sustainable actions. “Through my project,” Daser explains, “I underscore the lack of responsibility among high-income countries in addressing climate change.”

Kavya Bhat (Queens, New York) was originally inspired by 2023 winner Ellen Chen (Rye, New York) and created Up Close, a diptych of two interconnected, yet opposite, climate futures. “Both long for something the other has,” Bhat states, “and yet both are suffering.”

Ruby Hutcheson (Tallahassee, Florida) began Mother Nature with a handmade bodysuit constructed from trash and detritus that she collected from the roadside on my walks home from school. The resulting visceral photographs convey “the emotions of sadness and disgust that I think we should feel about the way we have treated our planet.”

Isabella Campos (Winter Springs, Florida) depicts coral reefs transitioning from vibrant and healthy to bleached and dying in Changing Corals, a large sculpture meticulously created solely through manipulating paper.