In partnership with the Huntington, Curatorial Exhibitions presented a panel on the Artistic, Curatorial, Indigenous, and Scientific Responses to the Climate Emergency on the West Coast. This dynamic and timely conversation examined several interconnected themes: the deep history and cultural foundations of Indigenous forest management and traditional fire ecology; how landscape memory and land stewardship practices are expressed in Native American photography; contemporary reinterpretation of historical imagery through an Indigenous lens; the use of infrared technology to reveal fire stress in old-growth forests; and pathways to collective healing following catastrophic wildfires.

The presentations included Elizabeth Logan’s overview of the Huntington-USC Institute on California & the West signature initiative, West on Fire; Adriene Hughes’ ongoing series Secret Life of Trees that explores Pacific Northwest forests through an innovative mixed-media approach; Epiphany Couch’s examination of seasonal transformation on tribal lands in Washington State in Before the Fire Lit My Dreams; and Linde B. Lehtinen’s discussion of the Huntington Library photography collection’s engagement with the history of fire and changing climate in the West.

Panelists investigated how public-facing programs—developed through artist and curator partnerships—can educate audiences about the West's fire history while fostering both climate resilience and community healing after major fire events. These public engagement and educational initiatives serve as bridges between traditional ecological knowledge and contemporary climate action, offering models for preventing further ecological collapse.

The programming emerged from Roots, the research by programming and development lead for Curatorial Exhibitions and independent curator Liza Faktor, who has been investigating artistic responses to forest ecosystems, and who moderated the discussion.

Panel speakers: Adriene Hughes, visual artist; Elizabeth Logan, co-director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California & the West; Epiphany Couch, interdisciplinary artist and writer; Linde B. Lehtinen, Senior Curator of Photography at The Huntington Library.

This programming was organized within the framework of the Oracle 2025 Pasadena: Photography Curators Conference, and took place at Haaga Hall at the Huntington on October 20.