Seniors for Climate organizes Earth Day art show
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
Over two dozen Robson Valley residents gathered at the Valley Museum and Archives in McBride on Earth Day – April 22nd – for a musical performance, gallery opening and documentary screening. Organized by the Robson Valley chapter of Seniors For Climate, a nationwide group mobilizing seniors to advocate for climate-friendly policies, the event kicked off a week of climate-friendly activities, such as nature walks and documentary screenings.
Founder of the local Seniors For Climate chapter Nancy Taylor said the idea for an art gallery came about organically during a meeting in February. Music and art are common methods advocates use to raise awareness of issues, she added.
“It’s making protests, making a serious, difficult situation, lighter,” Taylor said. “Music and art are part of our culture, and it lightens those conversations and brings us more together.”
Likewise, the idea to write and perform songs about climate change naturally came up during Seniors For Climate meetings, said songwriter Barb Marier. After other members of the group suggested performing songs at the gallery opening, Marier composed two songs – titled “Cool Down” and “Ballad of the Dinosaur” – and invited her weekly jam group to perform them.
“I was hoping to get the idea stuck in people’s heads,” Marier told The Goat. “That’s why the Cool Down song is quite repetitive – I was hoping that people would leave with it rolling around in their heads and make them think about it.”
Marier added that she was glad for the opportunity to collaborate with her jam group, and believed the music was a good way to make attendees enthusiastic about the gallery opening.
The art gallery featured works from Robson Valley residents of all ages, from seniors to children – Taylor noted that Hannah McKirdy’s entire grade two class at Valemount Elementary School sent artwork. Attendees also saw a screening of “Later is Too Late,” a documentary that Seniors For Climate organizers produced to highlight the advocacy efforts of seniors across the country. The film features Taylor as well as Dunster resident Ursula Winkler.
One resident whose work was featured in the gallery, Norma Stromberg-Jones, said she was thankful for the gallery giving residents an opportunity to engage in conversations and advocacy around climate change.
Stromberg-Jones’ collage, aptly titled “Any way you slice it,” is made of three photos of Robson Valley scenery spliced together: one, an idyllic green landscape, another with a raging wildfire on the mountainside, and another showing the aftermath of a wildfire. She was inspired to create the collage after realizing that scientific evidence points to a rapidly changing climate – no matter how you slice it.
“This is the first time I’ve ever entered anything like this,” Stromberg-Jones said. “I really care about what’s happening in our climate. This is just what’s happening locally.”
Museum Curator Bridget Uhl said the Valley Museum and Archives has previously hosted similar community art shows, such as an art show for local seniors held last year.
“I see the museum as an inclusive public space, so to me, this is just part of what we do at the museum,” Uhl said. “We provide a public space to have conversations about the past, present and future, not just 100 year-old-history.”
