VITAL: Our Irreplaceable Earth

August 27, 2025 - November 2, 2025
Muscarelle Museum of Art

Bringing together art and stories from eight international photographers, VITAL offers an intimate look at the places in nature we cannot afford to lose if we hope to stabilize our climate. These ecosystems contain vast stores of “irrecoverable carbon” accumulated over decades or centuries. If destroyed, the carbon released into the atmosphere will fuel climate change. This exhibition goes beyond the data to share the stories of these essential places, inviting visitors to experience the awe-inspiring power of nature and the people who protect it. From the tropical forests and peatlands of the Amazon to the temperate rainforests of North America, these photographs remind us what’s at stake — and why we must act.

Presented in collaboration with Conservation International and Vital Impacts with support from the Lucille Godfrey Quattlebaum Muscarelle Museum Endowment, the Year of the Environment Committee and the Institute for Integrative Conservation.

Photo: © Reuben Wu / courtesy of Conservation International