At the Diocesan Museum in Cremona, a photographic tribute to Jane Goodall and the women she inspired

From March 7 to May 17, 2026, the Diocesan Museum in Cremona welcomes The Nature of Hope - A Tribute to Jane Goodall and the Women She Inspired, an exhibition project that originated as part of the Ethical Photography Festival and was presented in Lodi in 2024. It now comes to Cremona in a renewed and expanded version to offer the public a valuable opportunity to question our relationship with nature through the gaze of someone who has dedicated her entire existence to observing, telling and defending it.

At the center of the exhibition stands the figure of Jane Goodall, a world-renowned scientist who has radically transformed the way we conceive the relationship between humans and animals, demonstrating through her research how the distance between us and chimpanzees is far more reduced than previously believed, but the exhibition pays tribute not only to the researcher, but also to the woman, the visionary thinker and activist capable of inspiring entire generations, showing women in particular how determination and one’s own voice can concretely affect the course of history.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is the work of Michael ’Nick’ Nichols, National Geographic ’s longtime photographer and one of the most influential wildlife photographers internationally, who for decades accompanied Goodall documenting not only her scientific discoveries in Gombe Stream National Park but also her moments of deep intimacy and connection with chimpanzees, resulting in images that have become universal icons of environmental conservation, capable of restoring the essence of the forest and the creatures that inhabit it.

The Nature of Hope also aims to enhance the female gaze, flanking Nichols with the presence of Ami Vitale, an award-winning photographer, founder of the nonprofit organization Vital Impacts and recipient of National Geographic’s Explorers at Large award, known for telling stories of extraordinary resilience such as the attempt to save the last northern white rhinos or theAfrican communities’ efforts to protect elephants, with an approach that does not limit itself to denunciation but constantly seeks beauty and hope, transforming photography into a powerful vehicle for empathy. The presence of numerous female photographers represents a conscious choice intended to recognize the crucial role of women in environmental photography and conservation practices, to bring to life a choral narrative that highlights together the vulnerability and extraordinary strength of our Mother Earth.

The exhibition is curated by Laura Covelli and was conceived specifically to dialogue with the spaces of the Diocesan Museum by fitting into a larger project developed in collaboration with Vital Impacts, a reality led by women that uses art as a concrete tool to support those who work daily to protect threatened habitats and species. This exhibition represents one of the many stages of a journey that began in 2010 in Lodi with the Ethical Photography Festival, which, under the direction of Alberto Prina, continues to grow with the conviction that photography can be an effective means of change, capable of igniting attention on injustice, informing in a conscious way and stimulating action, while thanks to the Travelling Festival the exhibitions born in Lodi now travel around Italy and Europe bringing with them urgent and necessary stories.

The exhibition is therefore meant to be an invitation to those who love nature, those who recognize the power of images and those who wish to cultivate a hopeful look at the future, remembering that hope, as Jane Goodall teaches, is not a passive feeling but a daily responsibility that is built through concrete choices and gestures.

Photo ©Jane Goodall. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

At the Diocesan Museum in Cremona, a photographic tribute to Jane Goodall and the women she inspired

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