The Depiction of Environment Through Art: The Role of Exhibited Environmental Art in Public Engagement with Environmental Sustainability: A Case Study of the Bimblebox Art-Science-Nature Exhibition

Abstract

This research set out to further validate and extend a sparse academic literature: on the capacity of art advocacy to influence pro-environmental behaviour and sustainability adoption in the audiences for exhibited environmental art. It was also developed to further validate the use of art to help close an environmental attitudes-action gap: that limiting divergence between citizen and community held pro-environmental motivation and intention; and the subsequent pro-environmental behaviour they undertake. A mixed method survey design was applied within a case study of audience response to an Australian environmental art exhibition. The Bimblebox: art-science-nature exhibition was seen by over 45,500 people during its national tour between 2014 and 2017. A purposive sample of research participants (N=79) drawn from the exhibition audience was used to further validate the existence of several theoretical components of environmental art influence. Findings revealed that over half of participants who answered a survey within two months of seeing the exhibition stated future pro-environmental intentions linked to their art experience; and that frequency rose slightly for those who answered the survey 12 months after seeing the exhibition. This latter response also included examples of specific pro-environmental behaviours performed. Additionally, participant response to the software app designed for exhibition art presentation was combined with literature review of emerging digital technologies and international museum practice. The response of a cohort of Australian environmental art and museum practitioners to these published findings was also obtained. Jointly, these data sources helped reconfirm the value of environmental art advocacy as an important resource in public sustainability engagement. The research concluded that this resource could probably be further enhanced by a more systematic intersection of environmental art advocacy, its presentation in museum spaces using digital technology; and the better integration of this intersection with other, public, capacity building initiatives such as environmental art-science collaboration and education for sustainable development.