International Exhibit on Climate Change: Melting Ice / A Hot Topic: Envisioning Change Heads to Monaco

An international contemporary art exhibition to be unveiled in Monaco during UNEP's Tenth Special Session of the Governing Council / Global Ministerial Environment Forum

22 January 2008 – San Francisco, USA and Monaco: The Natural World Museum (NWM), in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) revealed today, plans to bring their innovative and highly celebrated art exhibit, Melting Ice / A Hot Topic: Envisioning Change, to the Principality of Monaco in honor of the official programming for the Tenth Special Session of UNEP’s Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum on Globalization and Environment: Financing the Climate Challenge. This forum is the largest gathering of environmental leaders from across the globe.

“UNEP and NWM have joined forces to generate environmental awareness through the Art for the Environment initiative” said Achim Steiner, Under Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UNEP. "Science informs the mind, music the heart but art connects with the human spirit. We urgently need to empower all three of these essential human elements if we are to rise to the challenge and seize the opportunities for economic, environmental and social renewal glimpsed through the lens of climate change".

The international exhibit on climate change will be hosted by the Office of Cultural Affairs in Monaco (DAC) from 20 February – 16 March 2008 at the Salle du Quai Antoine Ier. The exhibit kicked off its tour in Oslo at the Nobel Peace Center during UN World Environment Day in June 2007, and then traveled to the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels where it was exhibited into January 2008. Following Monaco, the exhibit will tour to the Field Museum in Chicago, USA.

The Office of Cultural Affairs is pleased to bring this traveling exhibition to Monaco, marking its involvement in the joint efforts focused on the role of art in changing behavior in order to help safeguard the environment.

NWM has partnered with UNEP since 2005 through the global “Art For the Environment” initiative, a curatorial program that utilizes the universal language of art to unite people into action and thought on a broad spectrum of environmental topics. NWM is hosting the traveling exhibit Melting Ice / A Hot Topic as part of the “Art For the Environment” program.

“We have gained significant international recognition and continue to make strides in environmental awareness,” said Mia Hanak, Founding Executive Director of the Natural World Museum. “Monaco is our third stop on the global tour and our goal is to inspire environmental awareness and action around the topic of climate change by presenting this exhibit to UNEP’s Governing Council - a gathering of 100 environmental leaders from around the world.”

The current international exhibit tour of Melting Ice / A Hot Topic, sponsored by Autodesk - a global design software leader - features paintings, sculptures, photography, multimedia and conceptual installations created by 40 artists from 25 countries.

“Autodesk is proud to be supporting the Natural World Museum and the United Nations Environment Programme through this important international exhibition,” said Carl Bass, President and CEO of Autodesk. “Together we will further the dialogue about promoting smart growth in a sustainable world, and demonstrate the critical role design can play in this process.”

While the effects of climate change are taking place on a global level, from the Andes to the Arctic, from Africa to Asia and the Americas, the Natural World Museum’s curator Randy Rosenberg states “We've asked artists from around the world to focus on just one dimension: the thawing and melting of the ice caps and permafrost, and the implications for humans and other species.”

Artists participating in Melting Ice / A Hot Topic, include Subhankar Banerjee, Robert Bateman, Alfio Bonanno, David Buckland, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Margaret Cogswell, Sebastian Copeland, Xavier Cortada, Siobhan Davies, Era & Don Farnsworth, Helen Mayer Harrison & Newton Harrison, Mona Hatoum, David & Hi-Jin Hodge, Laura Horelli, Gary Hume, Icelandic Love Corporation, Ichi Ikeda, Svein Flygari Johansen, Chris Jordan, Yoshiaki Kaihatsu, Fred Ivar Utsi Klemetsen, Angela Lergo, Jonas Liveröd, Ives Maes, Dalibor Martinis, Strijdom Van Der Merwe, Jacob McKean, Gilles Mingasson, David Nash, Lucy & Jorge Orta, Sven Påhlsson, Cecilia Paredes, Philippe Pastor, Shana & Robert Parkeharrison, Andrea Polli, Ana Prvacki, Kahn Selesnick, Anne Senstad, David Trubridge, Theo Wujcik, and Justin Young.

About the Natural World Museum (NWM): Transcending the traditional museum venue, the Natural World Museum is a mobile and global cultural institution that presents art through innovative programs to inspire and engage the public in environmental awareness and action. In order to reach broad and diverse audiences, NWM provides an innovative platform through its international curatorial program, empowering exhibit visitors worldwide with enlightening experiences to help advance local and global conservation efforts. NWM has already produced exhibits in partnership with UNEP in cities such as Algiers, Nairobi, Oslo, Brussels, and San Francisco, with future shows scheduled in Chicago, New York, and Wellington in 2008. www.artintoaction.org

About the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): UNEP is the world’s leading environmental agency and environmental arm of the United Nations, providing leadership and encouraging partnerships for conservation efforts by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations to improve quality of life without compromising that of future generations. www.unep.org

About the Office of Cultural Affairs of Monaco: This Office is involved in fostering culture in Monaco. It assists in organizing and promoting cultural exhibitions and events, conserving, restoring and developing the cultural heritage, sponsoring cultural bodies and associations, and managing cultural facilities.

About Autodesk: Autodesk, Inc. is the world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. www.autodesk.com/green

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http://naturalworldmuseum.org/about_press_ec-monaco.html

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