FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We hope these answers will help you feel ready to take the next step and begin distributing posters in your community.
If you have any additional questions about this project or if you want to tell us about your experience assisting the Museum with this campaign, please email us at programs@climatemuseum.org. Once you start volunteering, please fill out the volunteer feedback form. We love to hear from you so don’t hesitate to reach out!
To support the Climate Museum’s mission and to help us bring our programming to more audiences, please donate today.
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What is the Beyond Lies Campaign?
Beyond Lies is a participatory art campaign created in collaboration with celebrated illustrator Mona Chalabi. This initiative features a series of posters by Chalabi distilling extensive work by investigative journalists and academic researchers on the fossil fuel industry’s long-standing attempt to influence public opinion through deceptive advertising and to delay effective climate policy. The campaign offers members of the public the opportunity to distribute posters in their communities or through social media, sparking climate conversations and inspiring the type of civic action on climate we urgently need.
On each poster there is a QR code that can be scanned by viewers and that directs them to an action center where they can call their elected representatives to start the break from business as usual and advocate for decisive action on climate.
How/when will I get the posters?
You can print your own posters at home, at a print shop, or request copies from the Climate Museum. Just fill out this form on our Beyond Lies volunteer page to request copies to be mailed to you! We mail posters every week.
Where should I hang the posters?
Hang the posters in all the gathering places in your neighborhood—community centers, libraries, shops, cafes, cultural centers, gyms, and anywhere else you can think of where posters are allowed and where you can receive verbal permission to hang them. If it’s a place with a lot of interaction with the public, and they have a place where people leave flyers/brochures, you can also ask if you can leave a pile for people to take. If you want advice on how to have climate conversations while distributing posters, check out our 1 page volunteer guide!
What are some places I should not hang the posters?
Anywhere that someone declines when you ask.
Anything guerilla posting—construction boards, street poles, cars...be confident it’s ok to post where you’re posting.
Places with low foot traffic or low visibility (too high, too low, hidden in corners)
Can I recruit others to hang the posters with me?
Absolutely yes, we encourage you to do so! Bringing a group along to distribute posters multiplies the possibilities for climate action. We encourage you to recruit others to join either in person or online by sharing the posters on social media.
If you want to organize a Beyond Lies event in your community, on your campus, or at your workplace we can help you plan it. Email us at programs@climatemuseum.org.
Should I hang up all three posters in the series in the same place? Near each other?
If you have permission to then yes. The posters can be displayed individually, in pairs, or all together—the deciding factor is mainly the individual location more than our desire to show them in any particular way. You and the person you’re asking can discuss which poster would be best for a particular spot.
At every location and no matter how many posters you hang, we request that you photograph the displayed poster(s) and submit the images to our online gallery!
What if I encounter a climate denier?
Chances are you won’t. According to a 2020 study by Yale, 73% of Americans think global warming is happening, while only 10% think it’s not. Most people are worried about climate change but have not had opportunities to engage with it. That’s where you come in.
However, if you do encounter an adamant climate denier, it’s better to not engage. Many deniers are stuck in their ways, dismissive of facts, and not open to being convinced of anything they don’t already believe. Remember that our target audience is the 64% of Americans who are worried about climate change but inactive. It’s not on you to change a denier’s mind, but to motivate people who are already interested and willing to listen.
What is the main message of the posters?
Even though the fossil fuel industry has lied for decades, spent a fortune trying to cover it up (the numbers are not even publicly available!), and passed the blame onto individuals, people are waking up. We can take action on climate change and reduce the industry’s power by revoking their social license to operate and calling our elected officials to demand that they hold the fossil fuel industry accountable.
What does the social media component of the poster project entail?
If you’re a social media user we ask that you post the posters and your reaction to them on your social media accounts and promote the campaign to your followers. We hope that the posters can inspire as many climate conversations online as they have in person!
What if someone asks me something about the poster content and I don’t know the answer?
You are a passionate climate action protagonist, not a fossil fuel expert, so don’t worry! You can share what you learned exploring the Beyond Lies website and suggest they visit it too. You can also talk about your commitment to being a climate activist and share what you’ve learned on your climate journey at school or through your outside activities. If people you are interacting with have further questions, you can tell them that you’d be happy to pass on their question to the Museum’s curatorial team. Ask them for their email then send the question and contact name to us at programs@climatemuseum.org.
Why is the Museum hanging posters?
The Museum is hanging the posters to educate the public and to offer people who are concerned a pathway to action. We are an activist Museum, and we believe that through art and dialogue there is community, and through community, we can come together to create change. You can learn more about the mission of the Climate Museum on our main website, www.climatemuseum.org.
If someone asks how to visit the Museum, what should I say?
The Museum is currently presenting a combination of virtual and in-person programming. You can check out our main website (www.climatemuseum.org), YouTube channel (The Climate Museum), and social media pages (@climatemuseum) and sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on all upcoming events and announcements.
At our Beyond Lies Launch Hub on Governors Island, you can pick up copies of the posters and join campaign activation events.
You can also join us in person at the Javits Center NYC or virtually during Climate Week, September 20-26.
The Climate Museum is also in the process of scaling out to a permanent, year-round location in NYC.