the most important women artists making environmental art

Maya Lin, “Ghost Forest,” 2021. Courtesy the artist and Madison Square Park Conservancy.

A dramatic upward view through a grove of bare trees frames the blue sky, clouds and surrounding New York skyscrapers, with sunlight streaming through the branches.

Making climate-conscious art at scale and in public is arduous, expensive and often exhausting. Agnes Denes, Mary Mattingly and Maya Lin and their peers have built substantial careers, sustain themselves through their practices and hold places in major collections, yet haven’t shied away from creating works that help the planet.

the most important women artists making environmental art