Three UC Davis scholars, including artist and professor Margaret Laurena Kemp, toured the 'Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice' exhibition at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. The show, curated by Glenn Kaino and Mika Yoshitake, features works like Jin-me Yoon's 18-channel video installation 'Turning Time (Pacific Flyways), 2022' and explores intersections of climate change and social justice through themes of connection, contamination, catastrophe, and hope. Kemp is incorporating the exhibit into her course 'Page, Pen, Image — Performance, Black World Literature,' using breathwork and student-created dance performances to engage with the art.
The exhibition matters because it directly addresses urgent contemporary issues—climate crisis and racial justice—through an immersive, multi-sensory artistic experience. By integrating the exhibit into university coursework and public programming, the museum bridges academic research, creative practice, and community engagement. The show's origin in 2020, during the pandemic and racial reckoning, underscores its relevance to ongoing conversations about breath, safety, and systemic injustice, making it a model for how art institutions can foster dialogue on pressing social and environmental challenges.