Mother Earth as Art—its age-old phraseology embodying the femininity of nature—celebrates the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in 2020 by exploring an intersection of art and science through unique photographic manipulations of our planet’s surface.

Environmental satellites have captured an aesthetic beauty of Earth, its geological diversity and humankind’s impact. From orbital vantage points, regional and global perspectives reveal color-filled artistic views ranging from Cubism to “sloppy paint.” These images of our home in the universe, “mother earth,” offer points of reflection and wonder on her origins, her continual evolution and our interactions with her.

The museum is pleased to collaborate on the exhibition with the Department of Geosciences, in particular Dr. Chandana Mitra and her graduate students, Megha Shrestha, Elijah Johnson, and Eshita Akter Eva. Appreciation as well is extended to AlabamaView, the state chapter of the nationwide AmericaView consortium for remote sensing education, research, and geospatial applications, and its Board Chair and original “Earth as Art” online curator, Brent Yantis, MLA, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Click an image below to begin your tour.

Watch the online gallery talk, recorded live on Earth Day 2020.