We Are The Storm: The ART

Around the world, grassroots resistance movements are defending communities on the frontlines of climate change and the fossil fuel industry. We Are The Storm is a provocative, limited-edition art print portfolio that was forged in partnership between artists and environmental justice organizations. The 22 artworks in the portfolio were created by migrant, indigenous, and environmental artists who were each paired with a specific organization from threatened regions ranging from First Nations defending their land to activists trying to prevent the construction of pipelines. The images created by these collaborative efforts tell the stories of communities facing industrial extractive industries, as well as the organizations building resilience to stand against these industries and to create alternative, sustainable futures. The organizations and the artists were mutually impacted, learning from each other in an example of cultural strategy. “I see art as a way to bring things to life. If people see themselves in the image, they can become more aware, or question things more, as the beginning of taking action,” said Gilda Posada, one of the artists involved in the project. “It's made me much more aware of both how much the presence of people of color are important to the [environmental] movement, but also how much more we need to be present and visible.” The portfolio was promoted locally, nationally, and internationally to a range of audiences, including at the COP21 climate talks in Paris, to the RYSE Youth Center in Richmond, CA, pop-up exhibits in North Carolina and Texas, and the Omi Gallery at Impact Hub Oakland, and it was published in Orion Magazine to a readership of 25,000 people. The project was a partnership between CultureStrike and the Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative, a decentralized network of 30 artists committed to making print and design work that reflects a radical social, environmental, and political stance www.justseeds.org.