The Chicago People's Climate March 2017 - Marching With Art

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This past weekend, humans who enjoy living on the Earth gathered in cities and towns around the world for the People’s Climate March (PCM). Here in Chicago, the sky threatened rain at 9 AM as a group of local Climate Reality Leaders gathered for our first official regional group gathering at Meli Cafe in the loop, located within walking distance of Federal Plaza where the PCM rally was to be held. Seated around tables at Meli, fueling up on tea, omelets, and banana bread french toast before the long morning of marching, my partner-in-climate Jennifer Linton walked into the restaurant holding 12 huge green rings on wooden sticks along with a backpack full of hand-made banners.

I was trained in September of 2015 as a Climate Reality Leader by the Climate Reality Project, where I first met Jennifer, who has since become my climate soul sister. Before attending the Climate Reality Training, I had never attended a march or protest. About a month after we were trained, a sparsely attended climate march was held in Chicago in October, and though I had no idea what to prepare for, I was met by Jennifer and her family who came prepared with hand-made cardboard signs (“There’s no planet B!”).

Yes, the march could have had a better turnout. Still, I will never forget the exhilaration I felt during my first march, and the feeling of empowerment while walking through the Chicago Loop, yelling “HEY HEY, HO HO, FOSSIL FUELS HAVE GOT TO GO!” I really felt like I was changing the world with the the mass of chanters around me; we woke up tired people walking home from work who looked up from their phones, took pictures, and listened to our demands for a more sustainable world. And so began my career as a part-time marcher.

Leading up to the day of the 2017 PCM, Jennifer sent me selfies with the march swag from her art-cave. And let’s just say, I was beyond pumped up. As a writer and musician, I consider myself an artist. However, visual art has never been my forte. So in the past, my march gear has always been a bit sad. Meaning, I usually show up without a sign and instead wait for someone to hand something to me.

That someone is usually Jennifer. Jennifer is the ying to my yang. Unlike me, who normally forgoes march art preparation altogether, Jennifer spends hours in her workshop crafting beautiful, handmade banners and signs. While making our Climate Reality swag, she basically described herself as blacking out and and emerging from her session with 24 green rings and two banners.

This year, I realized for the first time the absolute necessity of art within the environmental movement, and the key role that artists play in changing our world. Art is a core aspect of the People’s Climate March, and the unforgettable image of a group of young people in orange bandannas holding a huge banner with the words “People’s Climate March” written in bold letters, marching in front of bright yellow sunflowers high in the air on green poles has become one of the defining icons of the climate movement. The visually appealing quality of that bright yellow image from the 2014 People’s Climate March stirs up feelings within me of hope and excitement. It just FEELS good to see. There is so much power in that picture.

I experienced those same feelings of power while walking through the streets of Chicago, holding my green ring and huge “Be Inconvenient” banner. We were fun to look at, and our innovative signage inspired others.

Art has a way of making us think about issues from a fresh perspective. Yes, we know that climate change is real and is caused by emissions and that our government needs to take urgent action. But imagine if every sign at a march said "Climate Change is Real." Yawn. March signs and other forms of art take a basic premise and express it in unique, innovative ways that grab our attention and cause us to think in new ways.

Art brings beauty and lightness to the serious matters that are at the core of marches. Think about it - we march for a livable world. Many people march for living wages, equal education opportunities, and the reproductive rights of women (to name just a few). These are serious issues that have to do with our ability to live healthy, free, safe lives. Art has the ability to take a load off the heavy stress and implications of these issues by infusing our sensory organs with beauty and even comic relief (see "Don't be Trashy" sign below).

Humans are sensory creatures - we derive pleasure from beauty in all its forms - visual, olfactory, auditory. Beautiful sights, smells, and sounds stir up pleasant emotions, and thus can impact how we feel, think, and make decisions. Art has the power to bring people together and influence the creation of feelings of unity and belonging. It seems that high-quality art is essential to the building of a movement, especially at a march.

Imagine a march with no art. On second thought, don't - it’s too boring. In my opinion, the difference between walking through the streets and participating in a march is art.

Once the rain came down, our signs doubled as jewelry

In this case, I am specifically referring to visual art. I’ll explore the role of chanting and the power of speaking in unison in a future post (I respect your attention span too much).

Much Love,

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