Diane Burko: Bearing Witness to Climate Change

Diane Burko: Glacial Shifts, Changing Perspectives is an exquisitely designed book of paintings and photographs, which documents an exhibition organised by Arkansas's Walton Arts Center in conjunction with Artosphere, an annual regional festival (4 May - 30 September, 2017) that celebrates artists influenced by nature. During the last decade, Philadelphia-based artist Diane Burko has been documenting the disappearance of glaciers in large-scale series of paintings and photographs developed in close collaboration with glaciologists. In this symbiotic relationship, the artist wants her work to accurately reflect the science and the urgency of climate change, and the scientists want the artist's help in communicating their findings to the public. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration just announced 2016 was the warmest year on record. Since the 1970s, Burko's work has evolved from photographing and painting monumental landscapes to documenting glacial recession, using the power of art to capture a harsh reality. Joining expeditions in Svalbard, Norway, Argentina, Greenland, and Antarctica, she has seen first hand the rapid transformation of landscapes essential to life on earth. Her creative response, represented in these pages, compels us to take notice and take action. This book is comprised of both her photography and painting. The book is also beautifully bound and presented, boasting a cloth cover with metallic gold debossing, tip-in photographs on the front and back covers, and foil stamping on the front cover and spine. See more