Can museums help shape how we respond to the climate crisis? John Kenneth Paranada, the Sainsbury Centre’s first Curator of Art and Climate Change, believes they can—by bringing together art, science, pedagogy and community to spark new ways of thinking and doing. This presentation explores how recent exhibitions at the Sainsbury Centre have opened up conversations about resilience and adaptation.
In A World of Water (2025), artists explore our changing relationship with water, tackling themes like rising sea levels, flooding, blue carbon sequestration, and marine ecology through new commissions and historical materials. Ivan Morison: Towards the Weird Heart of Things (2024) reimagines rural landscapes and climate adaptation, developed through collaborations with East Anglian farming communities. Sediment Spirit: The Activation of Art in the Anthropocene (2023) brings together art, science, and cultural history to reflect on how environmental change impacts ecosystems and collective memory.
How can museums move beyond reflection to inspire action? These case studies show how curatorial practice can transform museums into spaces that connect people, ideas, and disciplines to build a more resilient and regenerative future.
John Kenneth Paranada
John Kenneth Paranada is the Curator of Art and Climate Change at the Sainsbury Centre, supported by the John Ellerman Foundation—the first position of its kind in a UK museum. He is also a researcher at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia.
Images: Sainsbury Centre, Blaine Valencia
