Azul Calderon, Diandra Dillon, Akari Johnston, Joanna Ruacho, Stacey Vigallon, and Brian Young
Theme: Environmental justice
Los Angeles as a Cabinet of Curiosities was created in collaboration between the Nature Nexus Institute and a team of present students and alumnae of the Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program, led by Azul Calderon, Diandra Dillon, Akari Johnston, Joanna Ruacho, Stacey Vigallon, and Brian Young. This project focuses on the pressing theme of environmental justice, exploring the complex relationship between nature and urban landscapes. The design of the box underscores the importance of biodiversity and the interconnectedness of life within the Los Angeles ecosystem.
For our Orange County iteration of Be the Change, the Nature Nexus Institute's "Los Angeles as a Cabinet of Curiosities" box will be partnered with JCFOC Weissman Arts, the Merage JCC, Adamah, and the Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition powered by Adamah.
Adamah, the largest Jewish environmental organization in North America, is a fitting complement to the Nature Nexus box in its role as one of the BTC OC Regional Ambassadors. They aim to foster a vibrant Jewish life deeply intertwined with the earth, emphasizing the profound connection between people and the planet, or "adam" and "adamah" in Hebrew. Additionally, the Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition, powered by Adamah, represents a collective of Jewish community organizations that recognize the existential threat and moral imperative of the climate crisis and pledge to take action.
The Merage JCC, which hosts the Nature Nexus box alongside 315 Jewish organizations (eight of which are from Orange County), forms part of the Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition. Notably, the Merage JCC received a grant from Adamah's OC Climate Action Fund to transition their lighting to LEDs, resulting in significant annual cost savings and a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
JCFOC Weissman Arts is proud to collaborate with Adamah and the Merage JCC as a BTC OC Regional Ambassador for this unique box. With its theme of a cabinet of curiosities exploring the historical origins of museums in Western culture, the pairing aligns seamlessly with our mission of commissioning and advocating for new expressions of Jewish culture. Moreover, the box's emphasis on nature harmonizes with our upcoming large-scale initiative: a design festival inspired by Sukkot in partnership with the Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano. Save the date for this project and join us for a full-day festival on Sunday, October 20th.
Cabinet of Curiosities
Cabinet of Curiosities describes the private collections of Europeans. The collecting trend started in the mid-16th century. Often displayed in unique ways, showing rare and esoteric items, these collections were signs of wealth centered on purchased or stolen items along exploited trade routes. Many of these private collections are the start of modern natural history museums and, by extension, the whole museum field.
Jewish Environmental Movement & A Call to Act
Text from Adamah.