Two East Carolina University professors have contributed to Smithsonian museum exhibits this summer. Photography professor Daniel Kariko from the School of Art and Design has a photograph titled "Last Camp on Isle Dernieres" (2017) on display in the Art x Climate exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. The image documents a recreational fishing camp in South Louisiana that was completely gone by 2019, part of Kariko's ongoing 25-year project "Impermanence" capturing landscape changes in the Barataria-Terrebonne region. Additionally, Dr. Aleia Brown from the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences curated a collection of quilts by Black artists at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
The article matters because it highlights how regional university faculty are contributing to major national exhibitions, bridging academic research and public museum audiences. Kariko's work specifically addresses urgent environmental and cultural issues—coastal erosion, climate change, and the disappearance of Cajun and indigenous communities in Louisiana—using photography as a documentary tool. The inclusion of his work in a Smithsonian climate-focused exhibition underscores the role of visual art in communicating scientific and social challenges to a broad public, while also demonstrating the value of institutional support for long-term artistic projects.