A look into the University of Kentucky College of Design’s new exhibit

Combining design and the world’s climate crisis; “Life on Earth” invites viewers to do just that. This past month I had the privilege to attend the opening of UK College of Design’s newest addition, The Life On Earth Exhibition. It was a wonderful and eye-opening event. 

The college partnered with New York nonprofit, “The World Around” to create the nonprofit’s very first exhibition. 

The World Around is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and providing access to design and architecture to all, with an emphasis on social justice and sustainability. The organization consists of global public programs, events like The World Around’s Summit where the video dispatches seen in the exhibition were first shown, and archives of commissioned films, talks and presentations. It was founded in 2020 by New York-based curator and author, Beatrice Galilee. 

Galilee has extensive experience in the industry with a running list of accomplishments. She is the author of “Radical Architecture of the Future”, a collection of projects by designers in the world of architecture. She served as the first curator of contemporary architecture and design at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and made the 50 Most Powerful Women in Architecture and Design list by Deezen.

“I am very fortunate to have a lot of different experiences and to have learned a lot in my career. And I do think I am someone who just starts things. Sometimes I think that’s the hardest part. You think about what you want to do and you think you have to know what the answer is at the end but sometimes you just have to start. I learned that in all my different projects," Galilee said.

Galilee and The World Around’s Young Climate Prize, a hybrid award and mentorship program created to uplift a generation of designers and activists born into the climate crisis, Cohort member McKenna Dunbar both spoke at the event. They spoke about things like experiences in their own careers, their contributions to The World Around, the importance of educating about the climate crisis and the creation and background of the exhibition itself. Then the exhibition was officially unveiled, where I was able to take a look for myself.  

  The “Life On Earth” Exhibit entrance. Photo by Kenley Likins

Three of the screens showcasing video dispatches. Photo by Kenley Likins

The World Around’s first exhibit consists of 18 video dispatches, displayed on multiple screens, that are each captured by a different global member of The World Around. The video dispatches ranged from the salt flats of Argentina to the caves of Kenya’s Great Rift Valley and each in their own way showcases design’s role in addressing the climate crisis by emphasizing the diversity of our planet. It was a very simple yet effective way to provide access to the best ideas in architecture and design to everyone and to evoke thought and interest in the climate crisis of the world around us. I found myself sitting and watching these videos in awe, seeing a perspective I had never seen before. I was shocked to see the impact this simple room with TV screens had on me alone. I think this exhibition perfectly exemplified the organization’s slogan, “Architecture's Now, Near, and Next.”

I was able to meet with the founder Beatrice and talk with her about the organization and how their first exhibition came to be.

“We were trying to think of a way to tell the story of The World Around through the lens of videos that we made because we feel like that's the best direct version of what we do. We want to make the best ideas in architecture accessible to everybody," Galilee said.

After listening to Galilee speak I was left feeling inspired and curious. I wanted to know how young people and designers can find inspiration and get started in their own work. Galilee, again, expresses the importance of just starting, “I think you first find a group of like-minded people, start a society. And then you think of a shared project and then you just start it. Just get going. Just start.” It was such an honor to speak to such an accomplished woman in the industry and hear advice on how the younger generations can get involved and start their own work. 

I was thrilled to be able to attend this opening and see the exhibition. The exhibition will be open until March 14th in the Gray Design Building.  I highly encourage everyone to check it out for themselves.

My favorite screen in the exhibit. Photo by Kenley Likins