a few facts
Founded in 1764, and located in Providence, Rhode Island (USA), Brown is the seventh oldest college in the United States, and an independent, coeducational Ivy League institution. Brown is a leading research institution, with a particular commitment to exceptional undergraduate instruction, and a vibrant interdisciplinary program.
a few facts
The Institute at Brown for Environment and Society was established in 2014 as an interfaculty initiative. The research at IBES centres on the key themes of Natural Systems, Food & Water, Human Health & Well-being, and Equity & Governance, and involves academics from across the university.
Earth, Itself was a five-year program, from 2015-2019, conceptualised by Lenore as an integrative program of the humanities, natural and social sciences, and creative arts, designed to further academic conversations about the environment in innovative, engaging, and inclusive ways. The aim was to highlight ways of understanding Earth, environmental change, knowledge systems and policy; to address some of the most complex problems of our time.
The theme for each year from 2015-2018 was a classic element – earth, air, fire, and water – and an arts practice that allowed the program to explore the theme creatively and intellectually – dance, music, the fire arts, and text. In 2019, the theme, Blue Sky, focused on imagining alternatives and working in innovative ways to address climate change and involved visual artists across fields.
Since 2015 Lenore has been teaching a course entitled Natural Collections: Perspectives on Science, Art, and Nature, which explores different approaches to understanding diversity, drawing on the natural science and historical literature, and the creative arts. The course is based on case studies, book chapters, and journal articles, novels, catalogues of exhibitions, and videos, with online breeze lectures, and discussions.