Livermore Valley Arts is opening “Fragile Earth: A Call to Action” this week, a new exhibition that blends visual art with scientific understanding and grassroots advocacy.
By bringing together local and regional artists committed to highlighting the urgent need for environmental responsibility through art, the exhibit seeks to be a powerful example of grassroots advocacy – a bottom-up approach where community members unite to raise awareness and inspire action around shared concerns.
“With this exhibit, I wanted to offer a thoughtful and creative look at our relationship with the environment,” said Anne Giancola, visual arts and education manager at LVA.
“Through a variety of artistic voices and mediums, the exhibition explores the beauty of the natural world alongside the challenges it faces,” Giancola added. “I believe art can gently encourage reflection and conversation, making complex issues more approachable and personal. This exhibit invites viewers to consider their connection to the planet and the small but meaningful ways we can care for it together.”
Artists present unique interpretations of humanity’s impact on the natural world through diverse media including painting, sculpture, photography and interactive installations. Each piece acts as both a warning and a call to action, encouraging visitors to reflect on the environmental crisis and consider their role in responding to it.
“My watercolor painting ‘Relics’ comments on the relationship between a fragile earth and our dependence on fossil fuels,” artist Maureen Langenbach said. “I have always been concerned over how the fossil fuel industry has dominated and manipulated our interests over more sustainable energy sources. I take every opportunity to share my concerns over environmental pollution to the broader public.”
Livermore-based artist Bernice LaRosa will also have work on display in the exhibit, which runs through Oct. 19 in the Bankhead Theater.
LaRosa created a puzzling piece using repurposed objects and metal fragments in unusual shapes and sizes to “represent a character named Metal, whose mission is to save the Earth. Metal points to three simple words, ‘Stop and Think’ on an old red and white button,” she told the Pleasanton Weekly.
“If we don’t take time and start to think about change in how we live — products we make, packaging we use to sell those products, and whether or not these materials being made pollute the earth while they are used or when they are disposed — it will never happen. Metal is a messenger for sustainability,” LaRosa added.
Quest Science Center is a nonprofit in Livermore that has partnered with Livermore Valley Arts to present “Style Transfer”, an interactive photo booth experience. The exhibit blends machine learning with visual art to offer a hands-on way for people of all ages to connect with artists’ visions. It will appear alongside work by Livermore artist Caroline Powers-Robinson and interns from Quest Science’s Tri-Valley Youth Climate Action Program.
“We’ve worked successfully with Quest Science Center on a number of exhibits in the past, and the subject of climate change and ‘Fragile Earth’ is a natural extension of our shared goals,” Giancola said. “Our collaboration grew organically from a mutual interest in sparking curiosity, fostering empathy, and encouraging community dialogue through both scientific insight and artistic expression.”
Additionally, the “Fragile Earth” art exhibit will have a separate section dedicated to student eco-art, including pieces created in the Bothwell Arts Center art camps this summer.
The “Fragile Earth” exhibit is free and open to the public starting this Thursday (July 31) and will be held in person at the UNCLE Credit Union Art Gallery of the Bankhead Theater. It will be open Thursdays through Sundays from 1-5 p.m., except for closure dates on Aug. 16, Aug. 21-24 and Aug. 30.
A special reception for the exhibit will take place on Sept. 6, from 1-4 p.m. in the Bankhead downtown. The reception will feature an interactive art project that participants of all ages can help create, along with representatives from Quest Science Center who will be on hand to discuss pressing climate issues.
“The success of an exhibit like this is measured by the conversations it sparks and the connections it fosters within the community. When visitors pause to reflect, share their thoughts, or see their own experiences reflected in the artwork, we know the exhibit has made a meaningful impact,” Giancola said.
“We value the quiet moments when someone is moved, inspired, or sees the world a little differently,” she added. “Success is also felt when community partners, like Quest Science Center and student participation helps to bring the exhibit to a wider community.”
