Designs for Living with Rising Seas—A Multi-Month Exhibition of Adaptive Proposals for the South Coast’s Future—Opens at the New Bedford Art Museum with Jan. 26 Opening Reception

Design proposal for the South End of New Bedford from University of Massachusetts Amherst students Kaleigh Lin, Madeleine Lombard and Maia Medina (2023). One of numerous final design outcomes from the seven participating studios.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, Jan. 5, 2024

CONTACT:
Claire Martin
cmartin@remainnantucket.org
508-901-4149

Envision Resilience: Designs for Living with Rising Seas—A Multi-Month Exhibition of Adaptive Proposals for the South Coast’s Future—Opens at the New Bedford Art Museum with a Jan. 26 Opening Reception

NEW BEDFORD, MASS.---Designs and renderings developed by university students for how the communities of New Bedford and Fairhaven could adapt to climate change will be on display in a free exhibition at the New Bedford Art Museum Jan. 26 through March 23. The designs reimagine infrastructure, housing, neighborhoods and shorelines and were developed as part of the 2023 Envision Resilience New Bedford and Fairhaven Challenge.

Remain Nantucket, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting solutions for resilient futures for coastal communities, developed the Envision Resilience Challenge on Nantucket in 2020. The multi-university design studio and community engagement initiative connects interdisciplinary student teams with coastal communities to envision creative pathways forward in the face of climate change. The 2023 Envision Resilience New Bedford and Fairhaven Challenge marks the third iteration of the program. Undergraduate and graduate teams of students studying engineering, architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and climate science spent the fall semester working with the communities of Fairhaven and New Bedford to develop, propose and present innovative concepts for adapting to the intersecting issues of rising sea levels, affordable housing, port infrastructure, equitable neighborhoods, shoreline restoration and energy and mobility.

The design outcomes for innovative and nature-based ways of living under future conditions of climate change will be presented at the Designs for Living with Rising Seas exhibition. The work is the culmination of more than 14 months of community engagement, research and design thinking from Howard University, Northeastern University, Rhode Island School of Design, University of Florida, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and University of Virginia.

“Finding creative ways to address the climate crisis is imperative, and that starts at the local level,” said Suzanne de Vegh, executive director of the New Bedford Art Museum. “The Art Museum endorses the Envision Resilience Challenge wholeheartedly and is proud to host the display of designs produced by the student teams. The values of our community are reflected in the work and align with our commitment to serving as a forum for ideas and potential solutions to the pressing challenges of climate change."

The two South Coast communities serving as study sites to this year’s Envision Resilience Challenge have a long history of collaborative and resilient planning efforts, guided by local leaders, officials and environmental organizations. The student teams worked with numerous community members and local groups to best understand the unique history, challenges, systems and cultures of each town. The visionary, out-of-the-box student outcomes showcased in the exhibition build on and were inspired by the ongoing planning and resilience efforts of New Bedford and Fairhaven.

“We are thrilled to share with the Fairhaven and New Bedford communities the outcomes of this year’s Envision Resilience Challenge, as they were instrumental in inspiring and shaping the students' designs,” said Cecil Barron Jensen, executive director of Remain Nantucket. “Local city and community leaders have enthusiastically embraced the university teams and their investigations, fostering conversation and engagement that has been integral to the process of designing for a future that is innovative, resilient and beautiful. We are grateful for the opportunity to showcase the work to the community through the upcoming exhibition.”

The Envision Resilience: Designs for Living with Rising Seas exhibition at the New Bedford Art Museum opens Friday, Jan. 26 with a reception from 4 to 6 p.m. ET. The event and the exhibition are free and open to the public. Light bites and drinks will be offered but registration is required. Please register here.

The Envision Resilience Challenge
Developed by Remain Nantucket, the Envision Resilience Challenge is a multi-university design studio and community engagement initiative that connects interdisciplinary student teams with coastal communities to envision adaptive and creative pathways forward in the face of climate change. A semester-long design studio and community engagement initiative, the Envision Resilience Challenge encourages communities to engage in hopeful and meaningful conversations about the future, inspires real action in resilience projects and fosters the next generation of leaders to think interconnectedly and holistically about climate challenges through design and innovation. The challenge was introduced in Nantucket, Massachusetts in 2021 and moved to Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, in 2022. The third iteration of Envision Resilience is currently in New Bedford and Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Learn more at www.envisionresilience.org.

Remain Nantucket and Remain Ventures are funded by Wendy Schmidt and her husband Eric to support the economic, social and environmental vitality of the island of Nantucket. In addition to Remain Nantucket providing grants and sponsorships to support sustainable and cultural initiatives across the island, Remain Nantucket has worked in conjunction with Remain Ventures to revitalize the downtown district year-round through the preservation of historic buildings that are home to a mix of nonprofit and commercial businesses.

The New Bedford Art Museum offers an eclectic mix of art year-round within four galley spaces and a lively menu of education and public programs for audiences of all ages. Our longstanding commitment to local art and artists, the city’s art collection, and now cutting edge contemporary art provides a veritable smorgasbord of art experiences for visitors. Join us for visual art, poetry, film, dance, theater, live music and children's programs. Learn more at newbedfordart.org.

# # # # #