Zaria Forman Speaking Fee: $10,000 to $20,000

Zaria Forman is a contemporary artist renowned for her large-scale pastel drawings that capture the delicate beauty and vulnerability of polar landscapes. Born in 1982 in South Natick, Massachusetts, she grew up in Piermont, New York, and now resides and works in Brooklyn. Her mother, Rena Bass Forman, was a fine art photographer whose work focused on glaciers, profoundly influencing Zaria’s artistic direction. After earning a B.S. in Studio Art from Skidmore College in 2005, Zaria began creating art that documents the effects of climate change, particularly the impact of global warming on glaciers. Zaria’s artistic process involves traveling to remote regions to capture images and inspiration for her work. She has flown with NASA on several Operation IceBridge missions over Antarctica, Greenland, and Arctic Canada. Her work has been exhibited worldwide and featured on CBS Sunday Morning, CNN, PBS, and BBC. She delivered a TED Talk titled "Drawings that show the beauty and fragility of Earth," where she discussed her artistic approach and the urgency of addressing climate change. Additionally, she has spoken at organizations such as Amazon, Google, and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. In 2012, Zaria led "Chasing the Light," a sailing expedition along Greenland's northeast coast, retracing the 1869 journey of American painter William Bradford and documenting the rapidly changing Arctic landscape. Continuing to address climate change in her work, she traveled multiple times to the Maldives, the lowest-lying country in the world, and arguably the most vulnerable to rising sea levels. Her work has also been featured in exhibitions at Banksy's Dismaland and The Climate Museum. Zaria’s work is often associated with phrases like "super-detailed" and "truly immersive." Her art has the capability of "forging a visceral bond between viewer and subject," as noted by Alpinist Magazine. In 2020, the Alumni Board at Skidmore College presented her with the Creative Thought Matters Award of Distinction, recognizing her exceptional contributions to the arts. Through her art, Zaria aims to raise awareness about the environmental challenges we face, sparking important conversations about climate change.