UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Diane Burko, a Pennsylvania research-based climate artist-activist, will give a lecture at the Palmer Museum of Art on Thursday, Oct. 3, at 6 p.m., as part of Penn State Sustainability’s (SustainPSU) “Sustainability Showcase Series."
Burko’s work is displayed at the Palmer Museum of Art at the inaugural "Made IN PA" special exhibition. This exhibit, organized in celebration of the opening of the newly rebuilt Palmer Museum of Art, highlights post-1945 paintings, sculpture, mixed-media assemblages and installations by three generations of artists who hail from or who have sustained a career within the Keystone State. One featured piece is Burko’s "Unprecedented," which aims to shed light on the cultural landscape of both the climate crisis and the COVID-19 global pandemic.
At the artist lecture, Burko will discuss her work with climate scientists to capture mankind's impact on changing landscapes, the trajectory of her career path, and the influences of intersecting global crises on her work. Burke’s talk will be available in person and virtually. Virtual attendees must register in advance.
Since 2017, the Sustainability Showcase Series has connected research, activism, storytelling and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, by creating a platform for the community to engage with experts in a diversity of sustainability fields. Another thread of SustainPSU’s programming, the Intersection’s film series, provides a cinematic exploration of these themes. This year, both programming strands have been curated to explore the theme: "Mind over matter: How personal and social resilience can come through reconnection to our values, places, communities and non-human nature."
SustainPSU’s fall semester slate of upcoming programming includes:
- Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m.: “Newtok” (online)
- Tuesday, Nov. 12, through Friday, Nov. 15, various times: Chef and Indigenous foodways activist Tawnya Brant (details to be announced)
- Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m.: "Gather" (online)
For more information about events, view SustainPSU’s events calendar here. If you have a question or would like to learn about co-sponsoring future events, please get in touch with Grant Rowe at ger5277@psu.edu.