Sustainability in Action 2025
Sustainability in Action 2025
Saturday 4 October
As part of our ongoing commitment to facilitating dialogue and disseminating information with the global art community, Sustainability in Action provides a dynamic platform for industry collaboration, dialogue and knowledge sharing. This iteration of Sustainability in Action took place over a one-day symposium hosted by Hauser & Wirth and Emerson Collective in New York City. The program gathered a vibrant mix of scientists, artists, entrepreneurs and change makers to explore bold ideas for a healthier planet. The day featured roundtable discussions centered on optimism, community and identifying solutions for strengthening the long-term health of our planet.
‘A contemporary artist can pull from anthropology, from history, from science, from futurists and from spirituality.’
—Jeffrey Gibson, Artist and Curator
Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist, policy expert and writer, led the programming as MC and moderator. Sharing in the group’s passion for climate solutions, she is a co-founder of the nonprofit think tank Urban Ocean Lab, distinguished scholar at Bowdoin College and author of The New York Times bestseller What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures.
Roundtable 1: Food & Land
Examined our relationships with food and land through human health, recipes, seeds and history. By bringing together a chef, climate activist and educator the group discovered lessons of hope and practical action.
Moderated by Maggie Baird, Climate Activist and Founder Support+Feed
Wawa
Gatheru, Founder and Executive Director Black Girl Environmentalist
Leigh
Ollman, Co-Founder NYU Seed Library
Michael
Twitty, Culinary Historian and Writer
Roundtable 2: The Evolving Role of Art
Guided by prompts from Dr. Ayana Johnson, this dialogue threaded together the solutions explored in earlier panels and the creative practices of our featured artists. Together, they highlighted how the environment is not just a subject of interest, but a key influence on their perspectives.
Moderated by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Marine Biologist, Policy Expert and Writer
Sumaya
Bouhbal, Artist
Jeffrey
Gibson, Artist and Curator
Sarah
Nsikak, Artist and Creative Director
Samora
Pinderhughes, Artist, Composer and Filmmaker
‘In some ways, many of the solutions were things people have done for thousands of years—it’s just a matter of remembering them and reconnecting with them.’
—Heather Davis, Associate Professor of Culture and Media The New School
Roundtable 3: Materials & Innovation
The group examined our relationships with materials through personal encounters, storytelling, innovation, ecology and science. By bringing together a writer/academic, landscape architect, scientist and materials innovator, the discussion revealed earthly lessons that will prove useful in strengthening the future health of our planet.
Moderated by Heather Davis, Associate Professor of Culture and Media The New School
Amir
Afshar, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer Shellworks
Nicole
Miller, CEO Biomimicry 3.8
Sara Zewde, Founding Principal Studio Zewde
Creativity in Action
The final chapter opened up the program for innovators and artists to share how they do what they do with us. Amir Afshar, demonstrated how Shellworks collaborates with nature to create alternatives to plastic. Leigh Ollman, shared how the NYU Seed Library and their ongoing bean project explores the importance of biodiversity in our food systems. Sarah Nsikak, demonstrated how we can all transform everyday fabric scraps into wearable works of art. And finally, Samora
Pinderhughes let us with some hope through a musical performance.
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Learn more about our second Sustainability in Action conference, held in Downtown Los Angeles in 2023.
Learn more about our first Sustainability in Action conference, held in Somerset in 2022.
Learn more about the gallery’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
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