“As a father touring the exhibition with my son, Points of Return was a thought-provoking experience of how art can help us communicate both the realities and the anxieties around climate change. All too often, the scientific approach to informing children on environmental issues can either seem dry, or worse, inspire a sense of fatalism. What was powerful in this exhibition was the various mediums that invited you to linger in the discomfort of acknowledging the Anthropocene, and not ending the experience with a vague sense of resolution—but the clear exhortation that art and creativity are important tools for dealing with those emotions. This allows us to digest the reality we are in, and be mindful. I say all this as if this was an exhibition for children—it wasn’t curated that way. It was as powerful for an adult as a child; art to experience together. That is rare. I think it is also rare to see a combination of conceptual art expressed in such a diversity of forms, but each in its own way reflecting excellence in craft. The care and attention given to this project holds your attention—demanding reflection and meditation—in a way that captures even the effervescent energies of my son... and that is exceedingly rare.”

— Chris Hardy, landscape architect, founder of Carbon Conscience, co-chair of the ASLA Climate Action Committee Subcommittee on Carbon Drawdown & Biodiversity

“Climate change is top of mind in my profession. Unfortunately, the topic often leads to conversations of inaction and blame. Points of Return offered a serious yet uplifting commentary, providing hope where there is often hopelessness. Visiting the physical exhibition in Concord, Massachusetts was especially profound given its location at the centre of transcendentalism. In many ways, the exhibition channeled the awe of nature that Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and their contemporaries opined on. Points of Return expanded upon this, reminding us that nature is a powerful and dynamic yet also a creative force—with much of the work even co-authored by nature itself. Most importantly, Points of Return was accessible in that even my 7 and 9 year old kids enjoyed the exhibit, providing an opening to engaging conversations with them about a challenging subject. They were able to interact with and learn from the pieces which helped to simplify complex processes through striking visuals. It is not my generation, but future generations that have the most to benefit from this exhibition.”

— Michael Grove, landscape architect, civil engineer, ecologist, President of the Landscape Architecture Foundation