Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles opens a new exhibition titled “Roots of Cool: A Celebration of Trees and Shade in a Warming World,” co-curated by climate researcher Edith de Guzman and artist Jolly de Guzman. The all-women show features outdoor installations and gallery works that address shade equity—the unequal access to cooling shade across urban neighborhoods. Highlights include Leslie K. Gray’s three-part “Bus Stop” series depicting the climate challenges of female bus riders, Chantée Benefield’s “Cool Canopy” of suspended umbrellas (a recreation after her original was lost in the Eaton fire), and works by Kim Abeles and Diana Kohne inside the Sturt Haaga Gallery and Boddy House.
The exhibition matters because it uses visual art to make tangible the often-invisible issue of climate inequity in Los Angeles, particularly how historical urban planning has left communities of color and women more vulnerable to extreme heat. By blending scientific research with artistic expression, “Roots of Cool” invites visitors to imagine a more equitable, tree-filled future and underscores the role of public art in driving systemic change around urban planning and environmental justice.