Founded in 2020 by a group of Bay Area arts professionals, Art + Climate Action (A+CA) grew from a shared commitment to help artists and arts organizations achieve greater sustainability and climate awareness. Past and present organizing members include: Chris Bell, Devon Bella, Pete Belkin, Lisa Blatt, Tiffany Bozic, Linda Gass, Chris Kerr, Cait Malloy, Haley Mellin, Micki Meng, Sammy Owen, Lauren de la Parra, Daphne Palmer, Jodi Roberts, Claudia Schmuckli, Kelsey Shell, Danielle Siembieda, and Svea Lin Soll.
Together, A+CA reached meaningful milestones: co-founding Partners for Arts Climate Targets, providing educational programs and publishing guides on lowering greenhouse gas emissions, facilitating free carbon calculation reports, and customizing climate action plans for San Francisco Bay Area galleries and museums. Through these efforts, A+CA raised awareness of solutions emerging within the arts and built a network of climate-conscious arts practitioners equipped with practical and effective resources.
Today, Art + Climate Action continues under the direction of A+CA co-founder Devon Bella. Building on our history of resource development and network building, we now focus on strengthening regional resilience. We achieve this by partnering with public bodies and cultural organizations in Bay Area cities to normalize the inclusion of art and culture into climate planning. The core idea is that resilience is more than infrastructure—it’s rooted in memory, identity, and community connection. By supporting art and climate action, we can help ensure local communities have a greater capacity to cope with, adapt, and lead the response to climate impacts.