Sustainability and the Environment
John Pfhal, Mountain Triangle, Death Valley, California, 1976. Color coupler print. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Photography Collection.
Climate change, ecological collapse, and environmental injustice define our moment in time. As a contemporary art museum, MOCA is committed to deconstructing these issues programmatically and confronting our own impact operationally. Since the founding of the MOCA Environmental Council in 2020, the museum has significantly reduced emissions and waste, worked with sustainably-minded artists, and fostered inclusive conversations about a range of topics connected to the environment.
We try to lead with curiosity and care, interrogating our normal ways of making exhibitions, developing programs, and maintaining our two sites. Wherever possible, we reuse what we have, donate what we do not need, and share what we have learned.
- Annual Environmental Impact Reports
- Climate Impact Reports
- Eric & Wendy Schmidt Environment & Art Prize
- Environmental Education
- Environmental Council
- Environmental Programs
This work is carried forward by every department, led by MOCA’s Environmental & Sustainability Strategist with the support of the MOCA Environmental Council. We aim to bridge the creative and environmentalist communities of Los Angeles, and speak to the broader museum field.
Museum climate action is a relatively new and rapidly changing concern; we continually strive for improvement and are dedicated to researching best practices, and learning from our peers, artists, neighbors, and elders.
Read here for a full list of our goals and actions to date.
Nov 15, 2026 – June 6, 2027MOCA Grand AvenueJulian Charrière: Deep End
Nov 15, 2026 – June 6, 2027MOCA Grand AvenueCecilia Vicuña
The Dream of Water: Quipu of Encounters Maricunga
Past ExhibitionThe Geffen Contemporary at MOCAOlafur Eliasson: OPEN
Past ExhibitionMOCA Grand AvenueJosh Kline: Climate Change
Past ExhibitionThe Geffen Contemporary at MOCAMOCA Focus: Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio
Past ExhibitionThe Geffen Contemporary at MOCAPipilotti Rist: Big Heartedness, Be My Neighbor
Nov 15, 20263pm–4pmMOCA Grand AvenueCecilia Vicuña in Conversation with Elizabeth DeLoughreyEnvironmental, Talk
Past EventMOCA Grand AvenueLita Albuquerque in Conversation with Grant Klarich JohnsonTalk
Past EventMOCA Grand AvenueA Climate Symposium: Landscapes on the EdgeEnvironmental, Symposium
Past EventThe Geffen Contemporary at MOCAFirst Fridays: MOCA Climate Conversations: Like LichenWorkshop, Environmental
Past EventThe Geffen Contemporary at MOCAThe Plant SaleEnvironmental, Pop Up
Past EventResilience & Rebuilding: The Los Angeles of TomorrowVirtual, Environmental, Panel Discussion