In this episode of Climate Shifted, host Eva Frye speaks with Xavier Cortada, a socially engaged environmental artist and Florida Artist Hall of Fame member. He creates participatory art projects transforming how communities understand and respond to the climate crisis. 

Xavier shares how his "Underwater Homeowners Association" project used lawn signs showing home elevation levels to make sea level rise personally relevant to inland residents, how he strategically uses art to invite curiosity rather than confrontation, and how he builds coalitions with local institutions to create lasting policy change. 

Learn how his approach to "social practice art" sculpts people instead of clay, makes topics personal to bypass political polarization, and discover how anyone can get started doing projects like this in your own communities.

"Art allows you to see things differently, but it also allows you to behave differently. And you then model to those who aren't part of the process, how they too can do the same thing." - Xavier Cortada

"My way in was the yard sign. What's this weird number doing in my neighbor's front yard? And then that curiosity allows you to understand that you have a vulnerability, that it's not someone else's problem, it's your problem." - Xavier Cortada

"What I try to do is journey into this land called hope, and art gets us there." - Xavier Cortada

"At the end of the day I'm not trying to change human behavior. I'm trying to change the policies that allow corporate interests to exploit people and to extract from our environment." - Xavier Cortada