Steps Toward Change

Dance Exchange Embarks on a Climate Initiative

By Clifton Archuleta

Based in Takoma Park, Maryland, Dance Exchange nurtures creativity across generations, cultures, and disciplines. Fueled by the climate crisis, Dance Exchange is extending their reach beyond artistic expression to foster institutional change and broaden partnerships at local, regional, and global levels—igniting the inception of their Climate Initiative. This initiative “celebrates and supports artists and cultural workers as vital voices and agents of change for the planet, and dancemaking as a powerful form of community building and organizing that can root us in creativity and collaboration,” said Executive Director Cassie Meador.

At the center of the initiative is the NEA-supported project Future Fields, a performance project that brings together artists, scientists, and farmers to advance community resilience, bravery, and actionable responses to the climate crisis. Utilizing dance as a medium and engaging the community, this project aims to innovate avenues for intertwining personal and local narratives within the broader context of climate change’s effects on our lives, food systems, and interconnected world.

Here’s more from Dance Exchange on the physical and social impacts of the Climate Initiative performance projects within the community, the collaborations between artists, scientists, and agricultural workers, and the importance of creating an equitable and resilient environment.

About the Author

Clifton Archuleta is the audiovisual production specialist in the Office of Public Affairs at the National Endowment for the Arts.