Join us on November 4th from 3-5pm at 1053 Gallery in Fleischmanns, NY, for an extraordinary art exhibition and panel discussion, Hope and Challenges within the Climate Crisis, featuring Dr. Kathy Nolan, Catskill Mountainkeeper’s Senior Research Director, among an impressive lineup of speakers. The event showcases 'Atlas/Watershed,' a stunning collection of paintings, map collages, and monotypes by the talented Chichester, New York-based artist, Christie Scheele. Click 'read more' for the full press release and speaker information. Click here for event details.
Atlas/Watershed: Christie Scheele
Special Presentation: Hope and Challenges within the Climate Crisis
Saturday, November 4, 3-5pm
1053 Gallery is pleased to present a special presentation on the climate crisis on November 4,
2023, from 3-5pm, alongside Atlas/Watershed, an exhibition of paintings, map collages and
monotypes by Chichester, New York-based artist, Christie Scheele. The presentation brings
together the artist and eight area experts involved in climate change mitigation efforts and
biodiversity advocacy who will weigh in on actions people can take to positively impact the
environment and help manage climate grief.
Scheele says, “I feel that much of the public has gone straight from ignoring the climate crisis to
feeling overwhelmed with an avalanche of information. Many have skipped right over the
possibility of getting involved. But efforts at connection, awareness, information sharing, voting,
lifestyle, and activism can impact the rate of climate change and species collapse, or they can
model the alternatives—what our post-fossil fuel society could look like. Here is a smorgasbord
of possibilities.”
In the Atlas/Watershed exhibition, concurrently on view, Scheele’s personal relationship with
water is deeply woven into the political, and her concerns over the way water is used as a pawn
in both the political theater and environmental battles enter into the work in Atlas/Watershed,
which acts as both a map to locate the paintings geographically and thematically and a visual
reminder of what's at stake as we consider our impact on the land. This web of interaction
mimics the complexity of nature itself.
After the presentation there will be time for a public Q&A session. This event is free and open to
the public. Ten percent of exhibition sales are being donated to Catskill Mountainkeeper,
Beyond Plastics, and other environmental causes.
Presentation participants:
Christie Scheele began painting her atmospheric, minimalist landscapes just before moving to
the Catskills from New York City in 1990. She is an exhibiting artist of over forty years in
galleries nationwide.
Eleanor Stein teaches Climate Change and Human Rights at SUNY Albany. She will speak on
the recent global proclamations of the human rights dimension of climate change, and the
imperative to break the stranglehold of the fossil fuel industry.
Jeffrey Scales is a financial advisor focused on socially responsible investments, now known
as ESG, a Certified Financial Planner, Accredited Investment Fiduciary and chairman of
Riverkeeper’s advisory board. He will speak about approaches to engagement and divestment,
how to know if your investments are responsible, and how to align your portfolio with your
values.
Kathy Nolan is a physician, environmental and public health advocate, Catskill
Mountainkeeper’s Senior Research Director and an elected member of the Ulster County
Legislature. She brings a framework for reimagining our future and remaking our lives in greater
harmony with the natural world and our relations with each other.
Dancing Leaf is a climate activist with Extinction Rebellion Mid-Hudson and NYC. She will
speak about using nonviolent civil disobedience to combat banks and other corporations that
are destroying our environment and the possibility of a healthy future.
Sarah Mecklem, artist, and Jo Yanow-Schwartz, editor, are both former teachers. They
founded CCAPP (Citizens Concerned About Plastic Pollution) in 2020, which is now affiliated
with Beyond Plastics, a nationwide endeavor. They will explore what individuals, communities
and government can do to reduce plastic waste and fight this major component of the climate
crisis.
Karen Lee is an integrative health peer counselor and coach at Midtown Health and Wellness
NYC, a food and nutrition educator and a whole food plant-based lifestyle practitioner. She will
speak about our relationship to plants and nourishment, inspiring individual actions that can take
the pressure off the quickening pace of environmental change.
Kathleen Sweeney is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, environmentalist and educator currently
working on The Book of Awe Project. An Assistant Professor of Media Studies at The New
School, she will speak about what it means to experience awe in nature and close out the
program with a guided meditation.
About 1053 Gallery: Founded in 2021 by Mark and Maritza Birman to focus on purposeful
growth in the region, 1053 Gallery joins the burgeoning contemporary art scene in The Catskills
region of Upstate New York. Representing the multidisciplinary work of emerging and mid-
career artists, the gallery aspires to bridge the gap between the rural and cosmopolitan, inviting
community engagement and international appeal. The gallery is directed by writer and herbalist
Lindsay Comstock. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11AM-5PM, and by appt.
Media contact:
For additional information, interview requests or press images please contact Lindsay
Comstock, Director/Curator at [email protected] or 845-254-3461
