Mira Lehr is a historic figure. She’s a longtime environmentalist, as well as an accomplished artist, having pieces featured in museums like the Getty and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. Lehr could retire and leave a powerful legacy, but at 85-years-old, she’s about to open a new show at the Mennello Museum of American Art in Orlando, because she feels that now it’s more important than ever to advocate for change.
The show, called High Water Mark, blends Lehr’s love of the environment with her passion for art.
‘Mangroves, The Protectors’ by Mira Lehr
The show has been 50 years in the making. Back in 1969, Lehr was chosen to participate in the “World Game” project, where artists, scientists, writers, actors, historians, and more, were chosen to use their talents to increase awareness of the problems the human race was facing. The event coincided with the lunar landing, giving the entire population a new view of Earth… a view that showed us as merely a blip in the big picture of the universe.
Mira Lehr sits in the front row, along with her fellow World Game participants (Photo courtesy of Mira Lehr)
Looking back at that moment, Lehr said, “It was a time of great hope. For the first time mankind could see the whole earth in its entirety from the moon, and as an artist, I was inspired by a new global vision.”
The new exhibit, High Water Mark, will focus on raising awareness of the planet’s rising sea levels. Lehr currently lives in Miami, a coastal city that sits only six feet above sea level. In recent years, the area has seen disastrous flooding at an increasing level, and countless numbers of properties have been damaged by the rising waters. Lehr believes it’s crucial to get the world to see how dire the situation is, especially since her own home is at risk.
‘Invisible Cities’ by Mira Lehr
Lehr said, “The time to act is now. We must start referring to this perilous issue as what it really is: Climate Armageddon.”
When asked about what these pieces mean to her, Lehr continued, saying, “I created these works to sound a clarion call for awareness and action.”
‘Creation’ by Mira Lehr
Her new exhibit, High Water Mark, will be showing at the Mennello Museum of American Art in Orlando from January 24 to May 10.
