ArtCOP21 is similar in structure to Earth Art Bainbridge – a collective of sponsors and partners staging city-wide cultural events addressing climate change – only MUCH bigger!

Their goal is Paris, where, in December 2015, the United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP21 – will be held, and where delegates from around the world will meet to discuss climate change and their commitments to addressing it. All eyes are on this meeting, as we – all countries participating – must create ambitious goals for addressing climate change if we have any hope of avoiding the worst damage.

Art is an essential component of activism; through art we inspire and engage and activate. The changes we need to make to address climate change will not be possible without having art in our toolbox for raising awareness, communicating the issues, and challenging people to step up and do their part.

Our hope is that festivals like ArtCOP21 and Earth Art Bainbridge will help initiate the kinds of difficult discussions we need to be having about what we must do as a local and global community to face climate change.

Learn more about ArtCOP21 at artcop21.com and more about Earth Art Bainbridge at artforclimatechange.org. Below is an image by Banksy, the world-renowned graffiti artist who created this piece in 2009 in London in response to the failed climate change talks in Copenhagen that year.