A composite image of a photo of a person walking away from black smoke, and a green illustration of a fruit tree.

PST ART: “Storm Cloud” and “Growing and Knowing”

Art and science collide in The Huntington’s new exhibitions, on view Sept. 14, 2024–Jan. 6, 2025. “Storm Cloud: Picturing the Origins of Our Climate Crisis” and “Growing and Knowing in the Gardens of China” trace the dovetailing histories of the relationship between humans and the environment and emphasize the significant role that close observation has played in art, science, and ethics.

Southern California’s landmark arts event, PST ART, returns in September 2024 with more than 70 exhibitions from museums and other institutions across the region. Dozens of cultural, scientific, and community organizations will join the latest edition, PST ART: Art & Science Collide, with exhibitions on subjects ranging from ancient cosmologies to Indigenous sci-fi, and from environmental justice to artificial intelligence. Art & Science Collide will share groundbreaking research, create indelible experiences for the public, and generate new ways of understanding our complex world. PST ART is presented by Getty.

For more information about PST ART: Art & Science Collide

About the Exhibitions |Sept. 14, 2024–Jan. 6, 2025

Storm Cloud: Picturing the Origins of Our Climate Crisis

A black and white image of a smoke cloud rising from the ground with a person walking away.

“Storm Cloud” analyzes the impact of industrialization and a globalized economy on everyday life from 1780 to 1930, as charted by scientists, artists, and writers, and contextualizes the current climate crisis within this historical framework.

MaryLou and George Boone Gallery

Storm Cloud

奪天工 Growing and Knowing in the Gardens of China

A green image with an illustration of a fruit tree in a garden.

This exhibition displays 24 artworks and a participatory exercise highlighting how Chinese gardens have served as transformative spaces for growing and contemplating plants, encouraging visitors to view their gardens as sources of delight, nourishment, and inspiration.

Studio for Lodging the Mind, Chinese Garden

Growing and Knowing
An illustration of bugs near the base of a plant.

Mary Parker Macclesfield, botanical sketchbook (detail), 1756–1767. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

The Art and Science of Close Observation

The exhibitions “Storm Cloud: Picturing the Origins of Our Climate Crisis” and “Growing and Knowing in the Gardens of China” trace the dovetailing histories of the relationship between humans and the environment and emphasize the significant role that close observation has played in art, science, and ethics.

Read the Story

Mary Parker Macclesfield, botanical sketchbook (detail), 1756–1767. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Related Programming

PST Events
  • A person wearing an "Ask Me" badge talks to another person in front of a large hanging tapestry.
    Event
    Gallery Drop-In Talks: “Storm Cloud”
    Sun., Jan. 5, 2025
    Read more
  • A person looks at a traditional Chinese scroll painting.
    Event
    「奪天工」展: 中文講解 / Growing and Knowing: Mandarin Talks
    Sat., Jan. 4, 2025
    Read more
  • A composite image, on left a detail of an illustration of a volcano, on right a photo of a person walking away from an oil fire.
    Event
    Storm Cloud: Environment, Empire, and the Arts in the Industrial Age
    Nov. 1, 2024–Nov. 2, 2024
    Read more
  • Two people in red coats running a science experiment in front of a crowd.
    Event
    Edinburgh Science Festival: Street Science
    Wed., Nov. 6, 2024
    Read more
  • Detail view of a Chinese-style ink painting on silk depicting a person reclining in a bamboo grove, surrounded by a grid of cultivated plants.
    Event
    Growing and Knowing in the Gardens of China: A Symposium
    Sat., Nov. 9, 2024
    Read more
  • A composite image, on left a cropped painting depicting people cleaning a river, on right a photo of a person with a wheelbarrow in a garden.
    Event
    C.H.A.N.G.E.S. Youth Summit
    Sat., Nov. 16, 2024
    Read more
  • A black-and-white image of a person near a cave with water and plants (left) and a color portrait of a person with short hair who is wearing a white shirt.
    Event
    People, Plants, Pleasure: A Conversation with Zheng Bo
    Thu., Dec. 12, 2024
    Read more

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The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens shares its world-renowned collections to support scholarship, foster learning, inspire creativity, and offer transformative experiences for diverse audiences.

A group of people stand on a bridge in a Chinese-style garden.

"Storm Cloud" Key Image Credit: Unknown, Oil Well Fire, ca. 1920s, photograph, 5 3/8 x 3 7/16 in. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

The exhibition has been made possible with support from Getty through its PST ART: Art & Science Collideinitiative.

Red sun dial logo with text reading PST Art

Southern California’s landmark arts event, PST ART, returned in September 2024 with more than 70 exhibitions from museums and other institutions across the region, all exploring the intersections of art and science, both past and present. PST ART is presented by Getty. For more information, visit PST ART: Art & Science Collide