Celebrating Our Planet: Highlights for Earth Month
Hosting Events and Activities during this April Extravaganza
April 2024 is shaping up to be my most hectic Earth Month yet. This textile upcycling artist couldn’t be more excited - or overwhelmed! Months of planning and collaborating with climate educators and sustainable fashion advocates have finally culminated in an exciting, whirlwind schedule. As of this moment of writing, I am still planning at least one more Earth Week-related event.
While the breadth of work to prepare this month leaves me feeling overwhelmed at times, I can't help but swell with pride and gratitude—for choosing the path of textile upcycling, climate art activism, and consistently showing up to create and spread seeds of collaboration is finally starting to bear fruit.
My hope is that this long-awaited momentum will continue blossoming long beyond Earth Month. One day, I hope these passions can become fulfilling, not just emotionally but also financially sustainable!
OK, enough introduction. Let me share what I’m up to this month.
Make Climate an Art Class: “Exploring Your Climate Story” workshop
First started in 2019, the Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Week is a project of the Graduate Programs in Sustainability at Bard College in New York, USA, in conjunction with global partners and the Open Society University Network.”
This year’s collaboration with Bard College’s Worldwide Teach-In project is an extension of last year’s. In 2023, my participation was centered around giving a docent tour of my Textile Arts Gallery portion of Climate Gallery in a virtual reality setting.
This time, I created a one-hour creative workshop, inviting participants to enjoy short videos, contemplate on three sets of prompts, and spend some time creating climate art in their own space. The short videos include a mix of real life footage and virtual scene recordings.
But Mira, isn’t the class already over?
Just because the class is already over, it doesn’t mean you can’t take it. You still can - class recording will be available soon.
Better yet, if you are a climate educator, you can use the recording with your class, and invite your students to make art! In short, make your class session be about a climate art workshop!
Why should I participate in this class?
Starting on April 3rd (the date this class was broadcasted live), we encouraged class participants to create climate art. Afterwards, we invite them to complete their artwork and submit them to Bard College to join our online group exhibition.
The online climate art gallery will be featured on the Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Week website and social media accounts. Moreover, it will be shared amongst their 5000+ international contacts via newsletter and partners!
For students, this will be a great opportunity to network and beef up their portfolio with a participation in a global climate art exhibition.
For everyone else, this will be a great opportunity to flex your creative muscles and join a global climate art exhibition!
All participants of Make Climate an Art Class: “Exploring Your Climate Story” workshop are invited to join the group exhibition, regardless whether you joined the class live or watched the recording. Bard College and I are eagerly looking forward to accepting your climate art submission!
What kind of artworks are accepted?
Think sketches, painting, collage, poems, short passages, fiber art samples, and anything else that you can reasonably finish in a few days. On the art submission form, you will need to upload image files and include accompanying information about the artwork (title, dimensions, materials).
Cool, I’d love to join the group exhibition!
The class recording will be available early next week, and you will have about a week to finish and submit your artwork. Email me, leave a comment ASAP so I can refer you to my Bard College contact. You will have everything you need to watch the recording, along with all class materials.
Due to the time sensitivity of the art submission, please contact me immediately using the buttons below, or email me at musank@fafafoom.com to get involved. After April 10, I have to completely switch focus on preparing the rest of my Earth Month activities. So go, go, go!
My favorite Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Week class : “Greenwashing or Real Climate Action? How to Tell The Difference”
This year’s Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Week attracted more than 400 classes around the world. Obviously I’m biased about my class, however I was really impressed by this PEER presentation. PEER stands for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, and they are based in Maryland.
Their one-hour webinar is full of critical, eye-opening knowledge. The topics include “renewable electricity standards and the use of renewable energy credits, the use of carbon offsets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, claims around waste-to-energy as a renewable resource, and the importance of addressing agricultural impacts on climate.”
The Greenwashing or Real Climate Action? How to Tell The Difference webinar recording is now live, and I highly recommend you to watch it and share it with your network!
If you want to watch more webinars from PEER and support their efforts, check this wealth of information and send them your love!
Furthermore, there are still many events happening beyond the Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Week. Check them out and expand your knowledge about climate issues and solutions from speakers all over the world!
The Bard College team will continue updating the Worldwide Teach-In event calendar.
Fashion Revolution USA "How to be a Fashion Revolutionary” fireside chat - San Francisco, April 23rd
This is my first year as Fashion Revolution USA ambassador, and planning this event was a fast and furious affair. Joining three experienced Bay Area Chapter ambassadors, we will be covering topics about how to become a fashion revolutionary in every day life, no matter what profession or role you have!
This event is free, and capacity is limited. Reserve your spot or join the waitlist!
Sustainable Fashion Exhibition - San Francisco, April 25th
The 2nd annual San Francisco Climate Week is happening from April 21 to 27, 2024. It is a week-long climate summit, attracting more than 350 organizations to hold hundreds of events in San Francisco, gathering more than 15,000 people.
Many individuals and organizations already submitted their climate events for SF Climate Week 2024. They focus on in-person events happening in San Francisco, so if you are in the city during that period, register for one or several!
Note: As of this writing, there is a still-in-planning-phase SF Climate Week event that I will be part of. It’s not listed yet, but will be soon!
This year, I am partnering with San Francisco Climate Week organizers (a.k.a. the team that made SF Climate Week happen in the first place) to produce the Sustainable Fashion Exhibition.
The seed for this collaboration was planted last year, the day when the Hem & Jaleo showcase happened in October. Casey Hogue of Serotonin Creative, the digital strategist and branding engine of SF Climate Week asked me to join the event planning. I eventually focused on recruiting speakers for two panels, and reaching out to brands to be part of the showcase.
This would-be-marquee event is packed. Set to happen in the historic Hibernia Bank, Sustainable Fashion Exhibition aims to gather “the brightest minds in fashion, textile, and designs” and put the spotlight on what sustainability means in the current fashion climate.
Sustainable Fashion Exhibition highlights:
First panel discussion on Material Sourcing and Sustainable Brands, hosted by Casey.
It will be followed by a fashion show featuring sustainable brands, produced by San Francisco Fashion Festival.Second panel discussion on End-Of-Use / End-Of-Life Opportunities (i.e. recycle, reuse, remanufacture, etc.), hosted by yours truly, Mira Musank of Fafafoom Studio.
It will be followed by a fashion show featuring vintage fineries and upcycling brands, produced by Empress Vintage.
More information about the panelists and brands will be coming out soon. If you are in San Francisco during that time, you certainly don’t want to miss it!
Earth Day 2024 workshop with a school - San Francisco, April 26th
To close out the Earth Month, I’m really excited to collaborate with K-8 students for a custom workshop and presentation centering around the Gathered Cloths project.
Because this is a private event, I cannot say too much beyond the fact that I’m EXTREMELY looking forward to this collaboration. The goal of the event is to have the students insert their creativity to assemble the 9th Iteration of Gathered Cloths. I have some design visions, but no spoilers!
Considering that Gathered Cloths’ 8th iteration can comfortably outfit a person and a grand piano, what do you think the 9th iteration will look like?
NEXT ISSUE: there will be no 2nd post for paid subscribers only this month.
Instead, the next issue out on April 20th is free to access for all subscribers!
April is my birth month, so that will be my gift to you.
Because there’s so many things to do and time to wisely budget, this next issue will be light on words and rich in pictures. I will share you photos of things growing in my garden, featuring many plant species that are native to California. Look forward to seeing some eye candies two weeks from now!
Thank you for reading; until next time,
Mira Musank