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A new exhibition, “Plastic, The New Coal,” will open Sunday in St. John the Baptist Parish to address petrochemical facilities’ environmental and health impacts in Cancer Alley, an area with elevated cancer rates linked to industrial pollution. 

The exhibition, open to the public, will feature four events and runs from March 23 to April 15. The Descendants Project will partner with Apexart, an educational art institution, to bring the exhibition to the parish to shed light on plastics manufacturing and waste. 

“Plastic pollution is a global public health crisis that exponentially impacts predominantly Black communities like ours where the upstream pollution of petrochemicals used for plastic is harming residents. There is a better way,” said Dr. Joy Banner and Jo Banner, co-founders of The Descendants Project. 

“Our work in St. John the Baptist Parish demonstrates how historic preservation can drive economic growth and create quality jobs in communities long shaped by the intertwined legacies of slavery and industrial pollution.”

The Descendants Project supports limiting plastics production and decreasing its usage and actively participates in United Nations negotiations on a plastics treaty 

Event I

“Plastics, The New Coal Online Curatorial Tour.” An online curatorial tour will feature exhibition curators Monique Verdin and Patricia Watts.

When: Sunday, March 23, Noon-12:30 p.m. CT

Location: Watch on Instagram at @apexartnyc and @thedesendantsproject

Event II

“The Liberation Labyrinth: A Conversation with The Descendants Project.” Dr. Joy Banner and Jo Banner will host a discussion about their efforts to develop a public memorial garden in honor of the liberation struggles and victories against slavery, colonialism, and industrial encroachment.

When: Saturday, March 29: Noon CT

Location: Climate Resilience Hub: 167 Alexis Court Vacherie, LA 70090

Event III

“Invisible Rivers Workshop.” Invisible Rivers site-specific spring story sharing will reflect on the origin of plastic, the lower river’s industrial corridor, and the origins of the complicated planetary condition. It will include a workshop using the Story Circle Process developed by the Free Southern Theatre for artists and audience to engage in and discuss questions, reflections, and truths around “Plastic, The New Coal” as an exhibition and as a global condition. 

When: Sunday, March 30: Noon-4:00 p.m. CT

Location:  Climate Resilience Hub: 167 Alexis Court Vacherie, LA 70090

Event IV

“Soil to Sky to Sea: Plastics, Pollution, Realities and Other Possibilities from the Gulf South to the Globe.” An online conversation with artists, curators, and others will be held to discuss the realities of the plastics industry, the consequential side effects, the environmental consequences, and work to reimagine creative possibilities from the Gulf South to the globe. 

The artists and others will talk about the environmental harms of the plastics industry and the work underway to reimagine alternative options for the region.

When: Thursday, April 10: 6-7:30 p.m. CT

Location: Watch on Instagram at @apexartnyc and @thedesendantsproject