How To Survive

On view October 6, 2023 – September 2, 2024, Third Floor, West Wing 

Chinese-American activist and philosopher Grace Lee Boggs once said, “The only way to survive is by taking care of one another.” How to Survive is an exhibition investigating how ethics of care can help us face interlocking crises stemming from climate change.  

Examining ideas of interconnectedness, caretaking, and listening—between humans, land, plants, and animals—the works on display invite reflection, encourage action, and seek to cultivate optimism in the face of challenge. Featuring installations by female-identifying contemporary artists, as well as historical objects, recent design innovations, and an interactive community response hub, How to Survive focuses on the habits we must nurture to bring forth more positive and equitable futures.  

Visitors will encounter immersive projection installations, creatively upcycled garments and housewares, memes, large-scale sculpture, a reading library, as well as tools and prompts for learning more about our surroundings. Serving as a testing ground for thinking about how we create, consume, and display artwork in a changing word, How to Survive also reveals decisions and processes behind exhibition-making and encourages learning about local research and entrepreneurship in green-product fabrication and material re-use. Both practical and aspirational, How to Survive invites us all to greater depths of relation and caring in ways large and small.