Earth Celebrations was founded as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization on the Lower East Side of New York City in 1991, by artist Felicia Young, to engage communities to generate ecological and social change through the arts. For over 30 years our programs have applied the arts to build community, collaboration and action on climate change, water quality, river restoration, waste management, and the preservation of species, habitats, nature, gardens, parks, and a healthy urban environment. Earth Celebrations innovative cultural and environmental action projects, provide a vital creative and collaborative platform for residents, artists, and organizations to address and amplify issues, and develop solutions to environmental and climate challenges impacting the neighborhood. Earth Celebrations builds broad-based coalitions and diverse sector partnerships with local organizations, academic institutions, government agencies, schools and community residents, to work together to achieve common goals and ecological, policy and social change.
EARTH CELEBRATIONS PROGRAMS:
- Impact issues including: climate change, water quality, river restoration, waste management, and the preservation of species, habitats, nature, parks, gardens, and a healthy urban environment.
- Cultivate the inspirational power of the arts to engage and mobilize communities to take action on environmental issues and climate solutions.
- Build broad-base coalition efforts bringing together organizations, academic and cultural institutions, municipalities, government officials, schools, community centers, neighborhood associations artists, and local residents to work together creatively for common goals
- Develop strategic and creative diverse sector partnerships
- Promote and implement sustainable methods and practices
- Engage participants to deepen their connection to nature within the urban environment, learn about and communicate climate issues and local solutions, and through public action and cultural expression advocate for change
Creative Climate Actions | Ecological Art, Performance, Pageants/Processions, Festivals & Events | Public Cultural Action | Arts & Climate Solution Workshops | Ecological Artist Residencies | Youth Climate Leadership Internships | Educational Ecological Arts Curriculum Development | Art & Ecology Exhibitions | Film-Slideshow Screenings | Panel Discussions & Conferences | Environmental Advocacy Initiatives | Coalition-Partnership Building
Earth Celebrations’ over 30 years of collaborative arts, cultural organizing and creative placemaking projects
• Save Our Gardens Project (1991-2005) that utilized the transformative power of the arts and a large-scale annual theatrical pageants to build a grassroots local and citywide garden preservation coalition effort that led to the preservation of hundreds of community gardens in New York City.
• Hudson River Restoration Project (2009-2012) applied our creative model to engage community on climate impacts and restoration efforts of the Hudson River estuary and waterfront.
• Vaigai River Restoration Project (2014-2015) applied our creative strategies in a global context with an international and citywide collaborative art project and theatrical pageant that mobilized an on-going effort in the city of Madurai, South India to restore the river, in a severe crisis due to pollution, waste dumping, and the drying effects of climate change. The project engaged Columbia University’s Department of Urban Studies and Architecture that established an exchange program bringing students and professors to Madurai to collaborate on design plans for river restoration and waterfront. The project led to the Mayor of Madurai and Governor of Tamil Nadu appointing an official panel for the restoration of the river, establishment of a Trust for the Vaigai River Restoration and recognition on a national level by the Smart Cities Council of India and commitment of 1 billion rupees for the Vaigai River Restoration Project implementation.