The Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP) at Columbia College Chicago is hosting an exhibit of photographs about petroleum coke — the dusty, toxic byproduct of the oil-refining process — and about places in the Midwest and around the world where petcoke is piling up.
“Petcoke: Tracing Dirty Energy” runs through Oct 9. In conjunction with this exhibit, the MoCP is also hosting a full-day symposium on Friday about the relationship between the expanding petcoke industry and its effect on climate change.
The symposium will feature panel discussions with scholars, activists, exhibiting artists and officials from environmental organizations. The symposium, which is free and open to the public, will be held at Columbia College’s Stage Two theater.
Karen Irvine, MoCP associate director, said that the symposium will include all of the artists from the exhibition, as well as environmental activists and officials from the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC).
“We wanted to make a difference in this environmental issue … and help get this information out into the public realm,” she said. “These are very politically and socially engaged artists. They will participate with the NRDC in a panel about the state of legislation surrounding this issue, what’s next, and are there any solutions to the pollution problem?”
The program opens with Josh Mogerman, NRDC national media director, providing an introduction to the petcoke industry and the history of activism surrounding it. The first session, “Stories from Industrial Chicago,” will consider the cultural, environmental and industrial history of Chicago’s Southeast Side.
“Petcoke: Tracing Dirty Energy Symposium” will also focus on artists and their role in raising awareness about environmental issues and inspiring positive action. Henry Henderson of the NRDC Midwest Program and Peggy Salazar of the Southeast Environmental Taskforce (SETF) will join exhibiting artists Marissa Lee Benedict, David Rueter, and Victoria Sambunaris to discuss the role artists play in addressing environmental issues through their work, and how their vision can help shape the work of environmental organizations.
10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Friday, Stage Two, Columbia College, 618 S. Michigan Avenue, 2nd Floor; free; 312-663-5554 or www.mocp.org
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