Ramiro Camelo

Camelo, Ramiro
Ramiro Camelo, Curator and Project Manager, Myymälä2, Helsinki, Finland.

Conference Report. December 2024

Notes on the role of museums towards a more sustainable future.

Through keynote speeches, expert presentations and case studies at CIMAM 2024 Annual Conference in Los Angeles it became evident that large and medium-sized museums have become crucial players in the movement toward sustainability in the art world.

It must be recognised that the environmental toll of exhibition-making and its broader operational practices and day-to-day operation of museums as an industry is small compared with other sectors of cultural industries and entertainment. However, museums are ready to embrace a variety of strategies to address their environmental impact. One can say that This shift is both reactive—responding to increasing calls for environmental responsibility—and proactive, aiming to position the museum as a transformative collective force for positive change in the campaign for climate action

1. Greening museum energy consumption

Museums are increasingly adopting sustainable practices in their day-to-day operations on very different levels of engagement. The most common examples include reducing energy consumption, improving recycling, and embracing sustainable building practices.

Increasing Energy Efficiency: Many institutions are upgrading their lighting systems to LED, from Haloguenes and investing in energy-efficient climate control systems. The case studies presented by Daniel Vega (day 1, session 1) of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao show that the Guggenheim is a pioneer in sustainability. Some other Museums may follow this approach.

Severe Waste Reduction: Waste minimization strategies, such as reducing single-use plastics, and recycling materials, have been implemented.

Sustainable Architecture: Museums are incorporating green building certifications, ensuring that new buildings or renovations adhere to highest environmental standards.

2. Sustainable and greener exhibition design

Creating museum exhibitions typically requires considerable resources, as the materials utilised for displays, lighting, and transportation significantly impact a museum's overall carbon footprint. However, most museums are now taking steps to reduce the environmental cost of producing exhibitions:

Eco-Friendly Materials: Many institutions are opting for sustainable or recycled materials in exhibition design. For instance, using biodegradable or non-toxic paints and opting for sustainable wood and recycled textile new composites.

Modular and Reusable Designs: Exhibitions are being designed with modular elements that can be reused in different contexts, wall panels which are not fixed could be reused in many exhibitions

Digital and “DIY” Exhibitions: Virtual exhibitions are becoming more common, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they have a lasting impact in reducing the need for physical travel and resource-intensive setups. Another option is creating the exhibition's artworks on-site and destroying them after the exhibition run. For example, Andrea Lissoni, (day 1, session 2) artistic director of Haus der Kunst, Munich, presented a case study in which all the artworks of “Inside Other Spaces. Environments by Women Artists 1956–1976” were produced at the museum and the materials were recycled at the end of the exhibition.

3. Reducing the carbon footprint of art transportation and shipping

The movement of artworks between cities and countries can be an environmentally taxing part of museum operations. Art institutions are rethinking their approach to transporting collections:

Local Sourcing of Art: Museums are increasingly sourcing artwork from local artists or those within proximity, reducing the need for long-distance transport. Many of the speakers mentioned that several exhibitions in their museums were made only with their own collections and loans for museums within Europe, with artwork transportation made only terrestrial by lorry or maritime shipping.

Sustainable Transportation: Where air shipping and travelling are unavoidable, art institutions are selecting eco-friendly shipping methods, such as carbon offset transport and using lighter, recyclable packing materials.

4. Partnership, advocacy and agency for stronger Impact

Museums are also playing an active role in advocating for broader climate change action. By aligning with global initiatives, partnering with environmental organizations, and engaging in public dialogues, art institutions are becoming more visible in the conversation around climate change.

Public Engagement: Museums are using their platforms to educate and inspire audiences about environmental issues, through exhibitions, lectures, and workshops that explore the relationship between art and the environment. Kelsey Shell, from MOCA (day 1, session 1) (MOCA) insisted that the first step for advocacy on climate change in art institutions might be creating “Green teams” to develop Public programs and somehow involve communities and grassroots movements in discussion about the environment and climate change.

Collaborations with Environmental Movements: Some institutions collaborate with environmental artists or participate in exhibitions that focus specifically on climate change and sustainability. For example in the context of the exhibition Joseph

Beuys: In Defense of Nature, The Broad has formed a collaborative partnership with North East Trees, a community-oriented non-profit organization dedicated to conservation initiatives across the city of Los Angeles, in order to facilitate the planting of 100 California native oak trees within the Chávez Ridge region of Elysian Park.

Conclusion

Many art institutions and museums have a deep interest in sustainability however they lack a long-term strategy, and a road map and lack financial resources or qualified staff to engage in meaningful policies. Despite that as climate change accelerates and the world grapples with its consequences, museums and art institutions have the opportunity to be at the forefront of both reducing their environmental impact, decarbonization and advocating for broader cultural and societal shifts. By incorporating long-term sustainable practices into their operations, appointing consultants and experts, exhibition designs, and public engagement strategies, these institutions can help catalyze much-needed climate action while continuing to provide essential cultural enrichment and exhibition about the here and now. To sum up, Through both internal changes and external advocacy, museums can use their unique platform to drive meaningful conversations about the future of our planet and our natural environment.

CODA

Perhaps the most connected exhibition with the theme of sustainability was “Joseph Beuys: In Defense of Nature” at the Broad. I must say that the exhibition is meaningful and totally timely because it highlights the legacy of Beuys and his deep commitment to issues of ecology, social activism, and the interconnectedness of art and nature. This exhibition is part of a broader initiative that includes “Social Forest: Oaks of Tovaangar” a public reforestation project that aims to plant native oak trees throughout the city of Los Angeles. The project is linked to Beuys's environmental philosophy that echoes ‘7000 oaks’ which Beuys initiated at Documenta in Kassel in 1982.

I was deeply surprised to notice that most of the attendees to the exhibitions, and the people waiting in the queue, when we visited, were young people, mostly high school students. I was wondering in which ways is possible for those young people could find points of contact and the relevance of the practice and ideas of Beuys today. I only can say that it's fascinating to see how Beuys’ ideas, which were revolutionary in his time, continue to resonate with younger generations today.

Top 5 Most memorable questions of paradigms about sustainability at CIMAM 2024 from keynote speeches

Sustainability ≠ Sacrifice (hardship). Fiona Ragheb, LACMA

How do we sustain broad partnerships? How do your partners feel heard? Mark Bradford, Artist

How to start sustainable practices: use agency and imagination!

(for example, artists-led environmental storytelling) Kelsey Shell, MOCA

Can museums serve as catalysts for sustainability? John Kenneth Paranada, Salisbury Art Centre, University of East Anglia.

“Sustainability is the possibility of a kinder society” Chus Martinez, CIMAM board member.

Bonus: “It matters who owns what” Zita Cobb. Fogo I


Biography

Ramiro Camelo (b. 1966) is a curator at Myymälä 2, an artist-run space in Helsinki. He is also a board member and project manager of Baltic Fellowship Network. Ramiro started his studies at the School of Sociology of Universidad Nacional of Colombia, Bogota, (1990-1996). Later he graduated from the Royal College of Art, London, Master of Curating Contemporary Art (2009). His curatorial internship practice took place at Stacion Center for Contemporary Art, Prishtina, Kosovo (2008).

Ramiro relocated to Helsinki in 2017, where he started his curatorial activity at Myymälä 2 as a curator in 2019, and where he initiated the curatorial project Baltic Fellowship Network (BFN) - a curatorial initiative which aims to promote collaboration, foster partnerships and facilitate artistic exchanges among institutions, exhibition spaces, individuals and counterparts from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Since then, he has been travelling regularly in curatorial research to the Baltic countries. His travels include studio visits, meetings with museum and independent curators, scholars and gallerists as well as guest lecturer on art schools, and academic events. So far seven exhibitions have been hosted — plus a dozen of performances— five more are scheduled for 2024-26.

Ramiro’s curatorial approach is grounded on studying the unique transition where a first generation of emergent Baltic artists growing in independent countries and local art scenes (including institutions, art schools, curators, etc) which are now fully integrated into the global art world context, in contrast with a region where migration, mobilities and cross-cultural exchanges were not available during the Soviet Union occupation and only became regular when the Baltics countries joined the European Union in 2004. Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius art communities rely strongly on reciprocal flows of collaborations, synergies and artistic kinships. BFN is an initiative that works across borders and facilitates artistic exchanges and fruitful interconnections between the Baltics and Finland.

Ramiro Camelo, Curator and Project Manager, Myymälä2, Helsinki, Finland, has been awarded by the Saastamoinen Foundation, Helsinki.