Students at the International Education Summit participate in Contmporary Arts Center project
World Affairs Council had the opportunity to contribute to the community response art project for Terra Futura via our International Education Summit this past December. Terra Futura is a project created by French artist Louisa Lama-Aknin. It is a series of paintings connected to video responses from students around the world who share their hopes for the planet. Focusing on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, this participative art project was created to be a movement aimed at igniting action for sustainability issues across generations. One of the workshops was led by Contemporary Arts Center’s Krista King-Oaks, where she worked with students on how art is used to engage with global challenges.
On January 18th, we had the opportunity to go to the Terra Futura Community Response reception at the Contemporary Arts Center.
A QR code sits at the bottom of each placard, which directly links a visitor to a student’s thoughts on the painting and the coinciding Sustainable Development Goals. For one such painting, Life Below Water, a couple French students say the following:
“Some activities are ominous and contribute to the degradation of the marine environment. First we have pollution due to the activities on land that endanger marine ecosystems…. We need to preserve the marine zones as their presence is what will help the planet function and everything we do has an important impact on the marine zones, on ourselves, and on future generations. It becomes essential that we protect these zones.”
Over the past 3 months, CAC educators have worked with hundreds of young artists around the city to express their visions of the future in individual tiles inspired by Louisa’s exhibit. Together, these tiles created a vibrant mosaic along the walls of the CAC’s Creativity Center, filling the room with curiosity and dialogue around sustainability. 
This isn’t the first time Louisa has blended technology and art. In her previous project, NewYorkHer, Louisa created 10 portraits of immigrant women that came to life via an augmented reality app when highlighted.
Terra Futura is available to visit at the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center until February 10.
You can join us on January 30 at the Educator Workshop + Happy Hour: UnMuseum Playdate. Meet other local educators and have a chance to see some of the Terra Futura response pieces! Register here.
