How America got into this climate predicament, through the lens of art history

“Nature’s Nation,” an art exhibit at the Princeton University Art Museum explored climate change through history. The collection is made up of more than 100 works of art in a variety of media, including contemporary pieces like Hegarty’s “Fallen Bierstadt.”

Looking at Hegarty’s tattered canvas, on which an image of Yosemite’s famous Bridalveil Fall had been painted and then destroyed, its decay clearly stood out compared to its nearby namesake — Bierstadt’s 1871 painting of the same setting. Seeing them side-by-side, the two works spoke volumes about Americans’ evolving attitude toward nature over the past couple of centuries.

“Nature’s Nation” was eight years in the making, according to Karl Kusserow, curator of American art at Princeton’s museum and one of the main creative forces behind the traveling exhibit.

One piece featured in the exhibit had a strong connection to Standing Rock. Two “mirror shields” by an indigenous artist Cannupa Hanska Luger were on display at “Nature’s Nation.” Fashioned out of plyboard and covered in reflective mylar, the shields actually served as protective gear for the water protectors at Standing Rock. When protesters held up the shiny boards, the police could see themselves in the reflection.

The exhibit was on display at Princeton from October to January, 2019.

How America got into this climate predicament, through the lens of art history