Cool Globes

Little Rock is beginning to reopen after months of Covid shut down. Although the Clinton Presidential Library had not reopened at the time I took these pictures, an art exhibit was installed on the library grounds. My sister and I decided to go check out the new exhibit. I don't have a problem with outside activities, but still remain very cautious of being indoors with groups of people. 

"Cool Globes: Hot ideas for a Cooler Planet" is art with a purpose. It features 5-foot diameter globes that present solutions to climate change. Founder Wendy Abrams announced the "Cool Globes" project during the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in 2003. The exhibit premiered in Chicago in 2006 with 120 globes. Since then, it has traveled to many cities throughout the country and around the world. Not all the globes are seen at each location. 

I'll warn you in advance that this post is photo heavy and I didn't even include all the globes, just my favorites! I'm saving the best globe for last, so you'll at least need to scroll all the way through. Mean of me?? No, it was just a good way to end the post!

"Carpool" (Artist: Cheryl Stiger) was the first globe we saw. Its theme is sharing a ride when you can which would result in saving millions of gallons of gasoline and millions of pounds of carbon dioxide each day.

I happened to see our reflection in the windows of a nearby building. That's me on the right; Judith on the left.

"Green Investing" (Artist: Oliver Bernex) encourages investing in green technology and environmentally friendly products for protecting the beauty of the earth.

"First We Scream, Then We Act" (Artist: Nancy L. Steinmeyer) The artist Edward Munch's famous painting "The Scream" might represent the planet calling out for help and the iconic "I Want You" poster was designed to inspire us to act. 

"Earth the Nectar of Life" (Arkansas Artist: Lakresha Diaz) is a favorite of mine. The honeycomb that is painted on the continents and the beautiful flowers illustrate how bees work together to create honey and that we must all work together on solutions to save our future.

"Tree of Life" (Artist: Kim C. Massey) depicting all four seasons was beautifully painted. It encourages long-term conservation of our country's landscape including 37-million-acres of Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, National Conservation Areas, National Monuments, Wild and Scenic Rivers and National Scenic and Historic Trails.

I was so impressed with the "Cool Globes' exhibit that I took my two of my grandsons and their mom, to see them. I knew this exhibit would be something they would enjoy and appreciate. My other grandsons live a little too far away to join us that day.

They spotted this dragonfly on one of the globes.

"Non-Electric Play" (Artist: Francis W. Parker School students and faculty) features wonderful ideas for outside play and non-electric indoor play such as board games, cooking, reading, and craft projects. This one brought back many childhood memories.

"Drawing a Line on climate Change" (Artist: Thom Cicchelli) was a fun globe with its suggestion to use less energy while doing laundry.  The clothes used are representative of the area they cover. For instance, across North America there is a pair of denim overalls, Africa is covered in a safari print, and the ocean has a bathing suit.

I told you I was saving the best for last. This globe was my absolute favorite. The painting on it is simple stunning! "Souvenir" (Artist: Constance Mallinson) illustrates Earth's beauty as well as it's delicate ecosystems and the animals that inhabit them, all of which is worth remembering. The word "souvenir" comes from the French word "to remember."

My favorite section of the globe was, of course, the eagle flying over North America. It was a little hard to get this picture since it was near the top of the globe which was taller than me and full sun was shining it. I stood on my tiptoes and held the camera above my head. It took several tries to even get the eagle in the picture!

The idea of Cool Globes was to display "sculptures on the sidewalk, each depicting a solution to climate change, forcing people to confront the issue, but in a non-threatening manner."(Cool Globes.org) You can't wander among the globes without realizing that we all need to do what we can to conserve energy and protect our world. I'm trying to be more conscious and change things like laundry habits, not leaving the water on when I brush my teeth, and turning off the lamp in the living room that used to stay on all day. Doing small things doesn't make a massive difference, but even small things help.

If you happen to be in the Little Rock area, I urge to to visit the exhibit. As the Chicago Tribune said "Cool Globes teaches while it delights." It was a delightful exhibit. If you're not in the area visit the Cool Globe website for information and images. Information I used to describe the globes was taken from plaques attached to the globe base.

Sorry this was long, but I do hope you enjoyed it! Thank you so much if you stuck with me to the end!