The Amazon is on the brink of collapsing, and with it, Indigenous cultures and lands are at risk of disappearing. Over the past 20 years, the Harakbut Indigenous community from the Madre de Dios region in the Peruvian Amazon has been devastated by an illegal gold mining boom. This boom is a result of the egregious demand for gold used in phones, electronics and jewelry, which is largely driven by Western consumer habits. The illegal mining has led to immense pollution of the air, land and water; deforestation; disease; human trafficking; drug smuggling; disparate economies; and an all-too-real danger of losing the culture and traditional ecological knowledge of the Harakbut and other tribes.

In MINE: What is Ours in the Wake of Extraction, visitors can become part of the solution by learning about the Harakbut culture through the works of the Etochime Artist Collective. The collective’s artworks speak to Indigenous worldviews and the disastrous impact the extractive industries have had on their land and people. The exhibition will also feature specimens from the Mineralogical Museum known as conflict minerals – mined resources that contribute to environmental harm and are frequently used to finance armed conflict and human rights abuses – as well as a juried selection of 10 artworks from around the globe, emphasizing that these issues aren’t only happening in and affecting the Amazon.

The exhibition is presented in collaboration with The ACEER Foundation, Amazon Aid, AWA and Studio Verde. It is on view September 3 - December 13, 2024, and February 4 - May 15, 2025, in Mechanical Hall Gallery. Mechanical Hall Gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.