Our Workshops and Events
What we are doing in our workshops and events
To see current and upcoming events, check out our Upcoming Events page!
Our approach in each of our art workshops is to ‘paint from the heart’ as an expression and a dialogue-starter about climate and nature — and then allow that to enable us to become advocates for protecting and preserving the things we love. In our events, we share educational resources, learn about regional environmental efforts, and discuss how to have conversations about climate change. In our gallery exhibitions, we show and explain our commitment to protect the things we love. In our public events, we encourage everyone to act to preserve our world.
Here is where you can see us in action.
Past Workshops and Events (Below)
To view the galleries and more information for each workshop, click the title or any picture.
Art Exhibition and Opening Reception: “Distant Thunder”
Artists for Climate Awareness hosted a show of climate art in the Arts Alliance Center in Bloomington, Indiana and online from April 3 to 28, 2025 at the Arts Alliance Center in the College Mall, Bloomington, IN. This juried exhibition, a featured part of our Earth Month celebrations, was intended to raise awareness about urgent climate and environmental issues through artistic expression and community engagement. The show represented Artists for Climate Awareness members in several states.
On April 6, 2025, about 70 people gathered for the opening reception for “Distant Thunder”. This juried exhibition, part of our Earth Month celebrations centered in Pillar Arts Alliance Center in Bloomington, Indiana, aimed to raise awareness about urgent climate and environmental issues through artistic expression and community engagement. The reception included an hour to view and appreciate the art from 3-4 pm while guests enjoyed refreshments provided by Bloomingfoods Co-op. At 4 pm, awards were presented, followed by a musical performance, “Ceremony for Our Land.” The performance featured environmentally themed and indigenous-inspired music composed and performed by Grace McKenzie and Daixuan Ai from the IU Jacobs School of Music. A second performance was held at 5 pm.
The “Distant Thunder” exhibition ran from April 3 to April 29. Learn more and see the gallery of images here.
Ceremony for Our Land – Performance by IU Music Ensemble
April 6 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
As part of the opening reception for the “Distant Thunder” Gallery Exhibition of climate art by Artists for Climate Awareness, we hosted a live music ensemble on April 6 from 4-6 pm in Bloomington, IN, at the Arts Alliance Center. This inter-arts collaboration, led by Grace McKenzie, Daixuan Ai, and Jacob Davis from the IU Jacobs School of Music, built upon the April 2024 “Ceremony for Earth” music event. The performers wove their insights into an immersive, contemplative event that invited the audience into a space of stillness and reflection.
Through a live poetry reading by Wahpe Clifford and Ash Iteska, accompanied by electronic soundscapes with evocative imagery as a backdrop, the performance created a layered, immersive experience. Every note played conveyed an experience shaped by presence, connection, and reflection. At the heart of this event was an exploration of land, place, and belonging. These five artists from diverse backgrounds, spanning different regions of the country and the world, came together in Bloomington, Indiana, to engage in a shared inquiry: What significance does this land hold for you? How did you arrive here? How do you care for this land? Who has called it home before you? The audience was invited to step into the space and to reflect on the land beneath their feet and the histories it carried.
Learn more and see the gallery of images here.
Bridging Creativity and Conservation: Using Art to Raise Environmental Awareness and Action”
A talk and exhibition by Avon Waters
April 11 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Arts Alliance Center in College Mall, Bloomington, Indiana
Telling the whole story of Indiana’s natural beauty often requires multiple layers and mediums. In his talk, Avon Waters shared insights on what he and partnering artists and scientists have learned about how art can raise awareness about the critical conservation work needed to protect these ecological treasures.
ArtNature Consortium, founded by Indiana Pastel artist Avon Waters, engages in projects that cross-pollinate art and information, exposing new audiences to art while also revealing the urgency of responsible conservation. In his talk, Avon discussed Indiana Glacial Lakes, ArtNature’s latest project. The project features art along with the history and science of the beautiful ecosystems of the southernmost glacial lakes on Earth, and the pressing conservation challenges they face. As he talked, he considered issues such as harmful algae blooms and declining water quality that threaten the biodiversity, recreational activities, property values, and resilience of these lakes.
ArtNature has completed a project called Indiana Waterways: The Art of Conservation, culminating in a 200+ page book that features a collection of essays from environmentalists, journalists and storytellers, along with over 100 pieces of art in a mix of mediums and styles that promote the conservation of Indiana waterways. ArtNature has since partnered with galleries and art museums across the state to share what project artists, essayists, and scientists have learned.
Color Theory for Artists Demystified, with Avon Waters
Offered in conjunction with the gallery show “Distant Thunder”
On April 12, eight Artists for Climate Awareness gathered at the Arts Alliance Center in Bloomington, IN for an all-day, hands-on workshop by Avon Waters. In this workshop, participants learned how to mix shades, tints, and tones, understand color relativity, and more, using the medium of their choice. Avon worked in pastel, demonstrating each aspect of color theory. The color techniques and processes translated into whatever medium each artist chose to work with: watercolor, gouache, acrylic, pastel, and oil.
As participants worked, they explored how to connect their art to conservation while depicting nature’s connectivity to life.
Avon Waters is a Pastel Society of America juried member, exhibited in museums across the country, and is regularly included in national and international pastel exhibitions. He has received awards from judges such as Albert Handel and Anne Hevener, editor-in-chief of Pastel Journal. He also serves as the lead artist and contact for Art of Conservation: Glacial Lakes of Indiana, a multi-year art project focused on improving the water quality of lakes, and is the CEO of the nonprofit Art Nature Consortium.
Making upcycled musical instruments with fourth-graders at Lotus Blossoms Festival
On April 4, 2025, Artists for Climate Awareness members participated in Lotus Blossoms Festival at Fairview School in Bloomington (Indiana) to guide more than 800 area fourth graders in making musical instruments from things we would discard or recycle.
Lotus Blossoms a project of Lotus World Music and Arts Festival, creating opportunities to experience, celebrate, and explore the diversity of the world’s cultures, through music and the arts. The organization offers a robust April program called Lotus Blossoms, inviting fourth-graders from the region to come and celebrate love and diversity through global music.
Growing Democracy: The Power of Your Voice (Workshop with Sierra Club)
On a very cold, snowy February 16, 2025, thirteen people gathered both online and at The Dimension MIll in Bloomington, Indiana to hear Robyn Skuya-Boss (director of the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter) talk about important environmental bills being revised in the Indiana State General Assembly, with a particular focus on a bill that would enable Small Module Nuclear Reactors to be built across the state. This workshop addressed how to communicate with legislators about environmental issues that matter.
The workshop included training on having conversations over the phone. The event served as a prelude to future spin-off events, which will feature art-making sessions for use in the State House, as well as phone banking and card-writing gatherings.
Africa Climate and Social Justice Creatives Conference
Sponsored by Artists for Climate Awareness, CLIMARTE (AU), Music Declares Emergency (UK), the City of Kigali, Rwanda, and the University of Kigali, the Africa Climate and Social Justice Creatives conference took place on December 8, 2024 in Kigali, Rwanda, Africa
African artists of all art forms (performance, music, painting, poetry) submitted their work for jurying and were recognized through a certificate and gifts to celebrate their talent and passion for saving the environment. It was a great opportunity to network with other global networks in the climate and art space. The event was organized by members Halisi Monray and African Creatives.
Upcycle Your Finals Stress Away: Pre-finals “De-stress” Upcycle Workshop
On December 7, 2024, Indiana University students on the Bloomington campus joined Artists for Climate Awareness and Net Impact IU students for a creative break from the pre-finals hustle at our Upcycle Workshop. This event was designed to help students unwind and tap into their creative side while promoting sustainability.
Activities included making earrings from upcycled plastics, braided Bracelets from T-shirts, and phone pouches or small tote bags from blue jeans. Students took a few moments from their studies to de-stress, meet fellow students, and contribute to a greener planet through upcycling.
ACA member Chandra Craig Rettinger organized the event.
Nature Journaling with Bailey Russell
On Saturday, September 14, ACA members convened at Karst Farm Park Shelter #6 in Bloomington, IN for a 4-hour Nature Journaling workshop led by Bailey Russell, a recent intern with the Brown County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Maxwell Garden Workshop, Chicago, IL
Due to the weather, these two workshops on Saturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8, 2024 took place in a Halstead Street studio near the MAXWELL STREET COMMUNITY GARDEN in Chicago, IL
- On Saturday, Carol Carter led participants in painting a honeybee on a flower, inspired by the flora found in the Maxwell Street Community Garden.
- On Sunday, Anne Farley Gaines shared her expertise in using mixed-media materials to capture the essence of this urban oasis.
4th Street Festival of the Arts and Crafts
We hosted a booth in the community section of the annual Labor Day Weekend 4th Street Festival of the Arts. Our booth featured the theme, “Help Solve the Climate Puzzle!” with a communal jigsaw puzzle and a climate word search handout. At the festival, there were 120 artisans from across the country. In addition to their excellent and innovative artwork, there was onstage music, spoken word events, a kids booth by Lotus, and many community booths. Saturday, Aug 31 and Sunday, Sept 1, 2024.
https://www.4thstreet.org/
Gallery Exhibition: “Living In the Questions,” Traverse City, MI
June 25 to August 25, 2024
This exhibition, by Michigan artist Jessica Kovan, opened on June 25 at Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park in Traverse City, MI.
Through the lens of nature, “Living In the Questions” asked its viewers to pay attention and examine the space that our queries hold. We are bearing witness to dramatic changes on our planet and to the impact of those changes on all living creatures.
All the art in this exhibit was created on and with recycled materials including canvases, cardboard, old book pages, and salvaged wood.
“Art Journaling in the Gardens”
On July 1 and August 8, 2024, Artists for Climate Awareness joined Michigan artist Jessica Kovan for a half day at the Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park in Traverse City, Michigan for nature observation and to enhance their skills in the garden environs. The workshop focused on experiencing and visually expressing curiosity about plants and nature. The artists were encouraged to ask questions and make deeper connections to the experience of the gardens.
“Get Outdoors Day” Tabling Event
Artists for Climate Awareness partnered with the Uplands Network of the Hoosier Chapter of Sierra Club on June 8, 2024 in the Get Outdoors Day event at Switchyard Park in Bloomington, IN. Get Outdoors Day is a free, annual, open-house styled event where people come to learn about local outdoor opportunities. Participants were able to stop by the Pavilion Lawn in the park to create a nature journal from natural materials.
“Celebrating Pollinators in Watercolor”
Eleven Artists for Climate Awareness members gathered on May 11, 2024 at Ivy Tech Bloomington, IN for a unique art workshop in which they painted birds and/or pollinators in watercolor. This special event wasaligned with World Migratory Bird Day, spotlighting the vital role of birds and insects as pollinators. On this auspicious day for biodiversity, we invited participants to capture the essence of these vital creatures through the graceful strokes of watercolor. The instructor, MarySue Schwab, led the workshop as participants each painted from a different photographic reference.
Gallery Show: “Earth, Life, and Our Shared Responsibility”
Artists for Climate Awareness members from across the US, along with Arts Alliance of Greater Bloomington members, exhibited 2-D and 3-D artwork in a gallery exhibition April 4 – 28 at the Arts Alliance Center in the College Mall in Bloomington, IN.
We proudly offered this juried exhibition during Earth Month. Artwork included sculpture, jewelry, and 2-D mediums. Artists entered many styles of artwork, and their messaging featured lovely “prayer for preservation” pieces to catastrophic “call to action” artwork. Each artist wrote an statement explaining how the piece communicates an ecological message– emotional, informational, or educational.
“Exploring Values in Wet Pastel”
On April 13, 2024, Avon Waters led a group in working with pastel in combination with gesso, water, and alcohol to paint scenes in nature. With emphasis on values to create dynamic landscapes, Avon provided instruction on the various techniques of “wet pastel.”
“Stormwash” Climate Awareness — Poetry, Dance, and Music
On April 19, the Writers Guild at Bloomington, Windfall Dancers, Inc., and percussionist Julian Douglas delivered an inter-arts collaborative performance. Windfall Dancers choreographed select poems (e.g. Ray Zdonek’s “Over the Ageless” and “The Burning”), interspersed by world music.
Spring 2024 Events in Northern California
(For more information: plarenas.onpaper@gmail.com)
MAKING CHARCOAL PAINT, San Vicente Redwoods Preserve Thursday, April 25th
10am to 1:00pm
12001 Empire Grade
Santa Cruz, CA
We hosted a couple of workshops where we made soil and charcoal paints, and had time to make art at this beautiful redwood preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Our host was the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County and the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST).
MOUNTAIN VIEW’S EARTH DAY CELEBRATION, SATURDAY APRIL 20th, 2024
11am to 2pm
Rengstorff Park Community Center
Mountain View, CA
Enjoyed this festival with lots of activities and earth-friendly displays. We engaged in a card making activity with hand carved block prints featuring local trees and butterflies!
CITY OF ATHERTON’S ANNUAL EARTH DAY FESTIVAL, Sunday, April 21st, 11am to 3pm
Holbrook Palmer Park, Atherton, CA
We demonstrated how to make paint with charcoal from wildfires and soil. The festival featured lots of activities and earth-friendly displays.
“Embracing Emotions through Abstract Watercolors”
On February 13, 20, 27, 2024, participants joined in a watercolor workshop that served as a hands-on intersection of art and environmental consciousness, allowing participants to express their emotions and reflections through abstract watercolors. We explored some abstract art techniques while we discussed the the challenges our planet faces and what we can do about it.
“Painting Native Trees in Watercolor”
On October 27, 2023 in Bloomington, Indiana, Artists for Climate Awareness participants learned how to paint trees in watercolor. In this hands-on workshop, MarySue Schwab demonstrated key approaches to painting native Indiana trees. Students were instructed in multi-layered, wet-on-wet techniques using watercolor processes to create both subtle and dramatic tree formations. Participants used a mixture of warm and cool colors, juxtaposing shadow and form.
During the workshop, Julie Roberts from Canopy Bloomington led a presentation on the importance of native trees in the landscape, and how to plant and care for trees.
See more events in 2022 and 2023
“Evoking A Response to Climate Change with the Fine Arts”
Climate change is real. The October 12 presentation, “The Fine Arts: Evoking a Response to Climate Change” was an interplay of scientific and artistic visuals curated and presented by Ben Brabson, climate scientist and Emeritus Professor of Physics at Indiana University.Studies show that using art for communication can raise awareness, provoke impactful dialogue, and inspire action about environmental issues. Brabson’s talk included engaging and artful illustrations that simplify concepts of climate change for ordinary people, making the concepts more concrete, meaningful, and motivating. The presentation was free and was offered both in-person at Ivy Tech Bloomington and online.
Paint Bloomington 2023
On October 7, 2023, the Second Annual “Paint Bloomington!” featured tutorials by Artists for Climate Awareness artists. The all-day event in Bryan Park, Bloomington, IN included a city-wide plein air paint-out for all, plus free optional art classes.
“Wrapped in Love” Tree Sweater Campaign
Our “Wrapped in Love” tree sweater campaign, designed to benefit Middle Way House of Bloomington, raised $500 and achieved Bronze level recognition. We are using our artistic talents to help victims of domestic violence while also celebrating life-giving trees.
Our knitted tree sweater is now displayed on the Downtown Bloomington Square. For more details, please visit our Facebook and Instagram pages.
Northern California Event: “Natural Pigments Hands-On”
On October 6, Patricia Larenas led a group in making watercolor from soils at this First Friday Event at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History in Santa Cruz, CA.
Northern California Event: “Art from Ashes”
at San Vicente Redwoods Preserve
On October 2, 2023, in collaboration with the Peninsula Open Space Trust and the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, Artists for Climate Awareness facilitated an artist’s day in the Santa Cruz Mountains. NorCal coordinator Patricia Larenas led artists in using ashes from giant burned redwoods in the Santa Cruz CA mountains to create drawings of the devastated redwoods. The workshop was attended by 9 or 10 artists and 3 Park Staff.
Banneker Kids Camp 2023
On a warm week in July of 2023, two Artists for Climate Awareness members led participants of Banneker Kid’s Camp in Bloomington, IN in outdoor craft activities related to the environment.
Anne Farley Gaines Ceramic Demonstration
Chicago artist Anne Farley Gaines and Artists for Climate Awareness were invited into into the Ivy Tech Ceramics Studio on June 17, 2023 for a free one-day demonstration in which Anne produced a lively ceramic work based on one of her watercolors of nature. The participants created small works of their own. Anne Farley Gaines uses the emotional language of art with thematic environmental education. Her subjects focus on her passions: disappearing coastlines of the Great Lakes, decaying trees uprooted by rising waters from glacier melt, animal species being pushed by climate change to unprecedented areas, forest fires, violent storms, and their aftermath.
A display of Anne’s work is on the Ivy Tech campus in the Fine Arts area, and at The Waldron Arts Center. All will be available for viewing throughout June and July of 2023.
Learn more about Anne Farley Gaines at https://www.annefarleygaines.com/.
Gallery Show, Performance, and Workshop: “Conserve Bloomington”
“Mutations,” by Karen Holtzclaw
A gallery show May 12 – June 11, 2023 at Arts Alliance Center in Bloomington, IN provided environmentally themed art and music to the Bloomington Community. This gallery exhibition, coordinated by Artists for Climate Awareness, was open to all artistic mediums and depicted aspects of nature, environment, and climate change.
On May 12, IU Jacobs School of Music students working on the Conserve Bloomington project introduced their musical composition of nature sounds recorded in and around Bloomington, IN
On Saturday, May 13, in conjunction with the event, internationally known Indiana artist Rena Brouwer led a watercolor workshop, also at the Arts Alliance Center.
“From Watching Birds to Sketching and Painting Them”
On Thursday, April 27, internationally known bird artist Alex Warnick delivered a workshop called, “From Watching Birds to Sketching and Painting Them.” The presentation and demonstration largely focused on artistic techniques. During the workshop, there were also conversations about being connected to nature, how we can help wild birds, as well as the importance and interconnectivity of birds with the environment.
“Painting Nature in Wet Pastel”
On March 24 and 25, 2023 in Bloomington, Indiana, Artists for Climate Awareness participants learned how to use soft pastels with various mediums to create works in “wet pastel.” The group experimented with new techniques while sharing stories and learning about caring for the environment.
“Elements: An Exhibition by Artists for Climate Awareness”
Ten members of Artists for Climate Awareness displayed their artwork in the Education Gallery at the John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St., Bloomington, IN, from March 3 – April 11, 2023. The show is in conjunction with two environment-related exhibitions by climate groups and individuals, named “Climate Shock” and “Stone Soup: From Nature to Politics.”
“Painting Deserts in Watercolor”
In “Painting Deserts in Watercolor,” on February 25, 2023 in Bloomington, Indiana, Artists for Climate Awareness people enjoyed painting together, learning about desert conservation, and talking about how to be an advocate for better climate change communication.
“Climate Change in My Backyard: Art from the Heart”
Artists for Climate Awareness members convened in Carol Carter’s Studio in St. Louis, Missouri on September 24, 2022 for painting, sculpting, and climate education.